Benefits of size dimorphism and copulatory silk wrapping in the sexually cannibalistic nursery web spider, Pisaurina mira.

ABSTRACT: In sexually cannibalistic animals, male fitness is influenced not only by successful mate acquisition and egg fertilization, but also by avoiding being eaten. In the cannibalistic nursery web spider, Pisaurina mira, the legs of mature males are longer in relation to their body size than those of females, and males use these legs to aid in wrapping a female's legs with silk prior to and during copulation. We hypothesized that elongated male legs and silk wrapping provide benefits to males, in part through a reduced likelihood of sexual cannibalism. To test this, we paired females of random size with males from one of two treatment groups-those capable of silk wrapping versus those incapable of silk wrapping. We found that males with relatively longer legs and larger body size were more like

SUBMITTER: Anderson AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4780555 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature