5月12 日，《英国皇家学会进展：B》在线发表动物所肖永红、张健旭和李枢强（通讯作者）从北京幽灵蛛首次鉴定出首个雄性蜘蛛信息素的研究结果。 他们使用化学、电生理及行为试验方法，发现(Z)-9-二十三烯是北京幽灵蛛 (Pholcus beijingensis) 的求偶期雄蛛全提取液中特有的化合物成分，这种物质能够刺激成熟雌蛛步足跗节的化学感受器产生电位反应。
行为试验结果显示 (Z)-9-二十三烯对交配期雌蛛没有吸引性，不会激发交配期雌蛛的捕猎行为，但暴露于 (Z)-9-二十三烯环境的雌成蛛与对照组相比更易于与寻偶雄蛛交配，其配对雄蛛的求偶时间显著缩短。研究结果证实 (Z)-9-二十三烯是北京幽灵蛛雄蛛释放的性欲激发信息素（aphrodisiac），该信息素不是性引诱剂，其主要功能是向同种雌蛛传递性的信息，激发雌蛛的交配行为。
这是蜘蛛类群第一个得到鉴定的雄蛛性信息素，也是李枢强研究组与张健旭研究组继发现第一个蜘蛛多组分雌性信息素后，又一合作成果。这种蜘蛛的性信息素与其它种类不同。信息素通讯很可能对生活于黑暗环境中的洞穴蜘蛛的生殖行为有及其重要的调节作用，并通过种间特有的信息素保证种间生殖隔离，信息素的分化也可能是蜘蛛物种分化与物种形成的机制之一。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Proceedings of the royal socity B doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0763
Male-specific (Z)-9-tricosene stimulates female mating behaviour in the spider Pholcus beijingensis
Yong-Hong Xiao1,3, Jian-Xu Zhang2 and Shu-Qiang Li1,*
Chemical signals play an important role in spider sexual communication, yet the chemistry of spider sex pheromones remains poorly understood. Chemical identification of male-produced pheromone-mediating sexual behaviour in spiders has also, to our knowledge, not been reported before. This study aimed to examine whether chemically mediated strategies are used by males of the spider Pholcus beijingensis for increasing the probability of copulation. Based on data from gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis, electroantennography assay and a series of behavioural tests, we verified that (Z)-9-tricosene is a male-specific compound in the spider P. beijingensis. This compound acts as an aphrodisiac: it increases the likelihood that a female will mate. Mate-searching males release (Z)-9-tricosene to stimulate sexual behaviour of conspecific females. In the two-choice assay, however, sexually receptive females show no preference to the chambers containing (Z)-9-tricosene. This indicates that the male pheromone of P. beijingensis is not an attractant per se to the conspecific females. This is, to our knowledge, the first identification of a male-produced aphrodisiac pheromone in spiders.
