Male mate choice in a sexually cannibalistic widow spider
Section snippets
Natural History and Mating Behaviour
Latrodectus geometricus (Theridiidae) has a worldwide distribution, found mainly in drier and warmer regions (Garb et al., 2004, Knoflach and Van Harten, 2002, Levy and Amitai, 1983), and is associated with human habitats. Like other species of the genus, it is characterized by an extreme female-biased sexual size dimorphism (Knoflach and Van Harten, 2002, Segoli et al., 2008). Mated females can produce an eggsac as early as 1 week after mating, and multiple eggsacs over their lifetime;
Male Courting Duration and Effort
Courting duration differed significantly between the three starting time categories (mean ± SE: morning: 2.91 ± 0.56 h, N = 9; afternoon: 2.76 ± 0.20 h, N = 45; evening: 1.69 ± 0.28 h, N = 24; two-way ANOVA: F2,69 = 5.31, P = 0.007; post hoc pairwise comparisons indicated a significant difference in courting duration between all starting times of courtship). More interestingly, courting duration differed significantly between the three female age groups. The mean duration of courting older adult females (3.98 ± 0.34
Discussion
In this study we found a consistent preference of L. geometricus males to mate with mature females versus subadult females. Males particularly preferred older mature females, even though there was a higher energetic cost involved in courting these females, and males were more likely to be cannibalized.
Males can have an advantage in mating with a cannibalistic female if sexual cannibalism leads to an increase in their paternity. This may be achieved through (1) prolonging copulation duration
Acknowledgments
We thank Efrat Gavish-Regev and Amatzia Genin for their advice during the research; Hadass Steinitz, Adrea Gonzalez-Karlsson, Martin Tremmel, Adi Kliot and Ran Rosen for help with laboratory and field work; Esther Lavi and Ruti Akiva for supplying food for the spiders; and the Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for financial support. This is publication no. 713 of the Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality and no. 954 of the Mitrani
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