Male adaptations to minimize sexual cannibalism during reproduction in the funnel-web spider Hololena curta

• Published in: Insect science Vol. 22; no. 6; pp. 840 - 852
• Main Authors: Xiao, Yong-Hong, Zunic-Kosi, Alenka, Zhang, Long-Wa, Prentice, Thomas R., McElfresh, J. Steven, Chinta, Satya P., Zou, Yun-Fan, Millar, Jocelyn G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-12-2015; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adaptation, Biological; Animal Communication; Animal reproduction; Animals; Araneae; Cannibalism; cataleptic state; chemical signal; Female; Females; Hololena curta; Male; Sex Ratio; Sexual Behavior, Animal; sexual cannibalism; Spiders; Vibration; vibrational signal; chemical signal; cataleptic state; sexual cannibalism; vibrational signal; sex ratio
• ISSN: 1672-9609; 1744-7917
• DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12243

Males of many spider species risk being attacked and cannibalized while searching for, courting, and mating with conspecific females. However, there are exceptions. We show that the funnel‐web spider, Hololena curta, has 3 adaptations that minimize risk to males during courtship and mating, and enhance reproductive success. First, males detected chemical or tactile signals associated with webs of virgin females, and differentiated them from webs of mated females, enabling males to increase encounter rates with virgin females and avoid aggressive mated females. Second, males produced stereotyped vibrational signals during courting which induced female quiescence and suppressed female aggression. Third, when touched by males, sexually receptive females entered a cataleptic state, allowing males to safely approach and copulate. Because males can mate multiple times and the sex ratio in natural populations of H. curta is female biased, overall reproductive output is likely increased by males of this species avoiding sexual cannibalism.