像许多节肢动物，蜘蛛没有阴茎。相反，他们依靠一套改进的短期内的附属器官（称为触肢）在生殖期间协助精子转移。先前的研究已经表明，触肢，这基本上是从头顶上长出来的经演化的触角，缺乏任何形式的神经元导致不能传达了一种触觉。但新的研究，今天发表在在Biology Letters上的论文，表明蜘蛛的性生活并不是一个完全麻木的交易。结合的组织学和计算机技术，科学家发现在塔斯马尼亚洞穴蜘蛛的触肢神经元（hickmania穴居人，见上图）。这两大神经组织分别是：一条神经通往性器官的终端，另一个在触球的神经元簇控制着传输精子区。虽然还需要进一步的研究来证实这一假设，但研究小组怀疑这种触觉可以使雄性能够刺激雌性，甚至可以对其配偶的质量提供反馈信息。后者的假设显得特别有趣，因为分析也表明，一个在蜘蛛的腺体性器官是由神经支配的。该小组认为，这可能意味着蜘蛛可以控制和射精的质量和数量，以保留最佳的部分给最佳伴侣。

    原文标题：Nerves found in spider sex organ

    原文摘要：Like many arthropods, spiders don’t have penises. Instead they rely on a set of modified appendages—termed pedipalps—to transfer sperm during reproduction. Previous studies had concluded that the pedipalps, which are basically modified arms emanating from the arachnid’s head, were lacking any sort of neurons that might convey a sense of touch. But new research, published online today in Biology Letters, suggests that the spider’s sex life isn’t an entirely numb deal. Using a combination of histological and computer-based techniques, scientists have identified neurons in the pedipalps of the Tasmanian cave spider (Hickmania troglodytes, seen above). Two main groups of nervous tissue were present: a nerve running to the tip of the sex organ, and two clusters of neurons in the palpal bulb—the region of the pedipalps used for transferring sperm. Though further research is needed to confirm the hypothesis, the team suspects that the sense of touch may enable the males to stimulate the females and even provide feedback about the quality of their mate. The latter hypothesis is especially intriguing because the analyses also revealed that one of the glands in the spider’s sex organ was directly innervated. The team believes this might mean the spiders can control the quality and volume of their ejaculate—reserving the best secretions for the choicest mates.