Immature mating as a tactic of polygynous male western widow spiders

Baruffaldi, Luciana; Andrade, Maydianne C. B.

doi:10.1007/s00114-019-1663-4

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Since late-subadult females of L. geometricus differed in spermathecal content compared to adult females it is likely that males transfer their sperm into different environments when mating with females of different stages. The storage conditions are obviously sufficient for successful fertilization later on, since immaturely-mated females produced offspring in numbers similar to [ 10 , 11 , 14 ] or even higher than [ 12 ] adult-mated females after a single mating. Since widow spider females are often polyandrous [ 7 ], it needs to be tested if ejaculate stored in immature genitalia is disadvantaged in sperm competition, if the female re-mates with another male after the final moult.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mating behaviour in some widow spiders can be even more versatile. Recently a unique, cannibalism-free mating tactic was described in two species that exhibit the self-sacrifical behaviour (the Australian redback, L. hasselti and the brown widow, L. geometricus ) [ 10 , 11 ] and in one species lacking self-sacrifice (the western widow, L. hesperus ) [ 12 ]. In these species, mating was observed with females at a late-subadult stage, during a narrow window of a few (2 to 6) days before the female undergoes the final moult to adulthood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Immature matings lead to successful reproduction, since after moulting to adulthood, the Latrodectus females ( L. hasselti, L. hesperus, L. geometricus ) produce viable offspring [ 10 – 12 , 14 ]. Mating with immature females has been observed in other spiders before and was termed “pseudocopulation” since sperm transfer was considered improbable [ 16 , 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spermathecae and copulatory ducts are cuticular structures that are generally shed with the rest of the exoskeleton during the moult, as seen in some spider taxa in which females can moult after reaching maturity [ 19 , 20 ]. Immature-mated females of widow spiders, however, produced offspring [ 10 – 12 , 14 ], demonstrating that at least some sperm is retained and used to fertilize the eggs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional morphology of immature mating in a widow spider

et al. 2021

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Background Mating generally occurs after individuals reach adulthood. In many arthropods including spiders, the adult stage is marked by a final moult after which the genitalia are fully developed and functional. In several widow spider species (genus Latrodectus), however, immature females may mate a few days before they moult to adulthood, i.e. in their late-subadult stage. While the “adult” mating typically results in cannibalism, males survive the “immature” mating. During both “immature” and “adult” matings, males leave parts of their paired copulatory organs within female genitalia, which may act as mating plugs. To study potential costs and benefits of the two mating tactics, we investigated female genital morphology of the brown widow spider, L. geometricus. Light microscopy, histology and micro-computed tomography of early-subadult, late-subadult and adult females were conducted to determine the overall pattern of genital maturation. We compared genitalia of mated late-subadult and adult females to reveal potential differences in the genitalic details that might indicate differential success in sperm transfer and different environments for sperm storage and sperm competition. Results We found that the paired sperm storage organs (spermathecae) and copulatory ducts are developed already in late-subadult females and host sperm after immature mating. However, the thickness of the spermathecal cuticle and the staining of the secretions inside differ significantly between the late-subadult and adult females. In late-subadult females mating plugs were found with higher probability in both spermathecae compared to adult females. Conclusions Sperm transfer in matings with late-subadult females follows the same route as in matings with adult females. The observed differences in the secretions inside the spermathecae of adult and late-subadult females likely reflect different storage conditions for the transferred sperm which may lead to a disadvantage under sperm competition if the subadult female later re-mates with another male. However, since males mating with late-subadult females typically transfer sperm to both spermathecae they might benefit from numerical sperm competition as well as from monopolizing access to the female sperm storage organs. The assessment of re-mating probability and relative paternity will clarify the costs and benefits of the two mating tactics in light of these findings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional morphology of immature mating in a widow spider

et al. 2021

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“…We studied the brown widow spider ( Latrodectus geometricus ), one of three species of Latrodectus in which females can mate not only as adults but also as subadults several days prior to their final moult to maturity (‘immature mating’; [ 20 , 21 ]). The sperm is retained during the moult to adult stage and so once subadult-mated females reach maturity, they produce similar numbers of viable offspring ( L. geometricus, L. hasselti; [ 20 , 22 ]) or more offspring ( L. hesperus ; [ 21 ]) than females that mate only as adults. Adult and subadult courtship and mating sequences may differ ( L. hasselti, L. geometricus, L. hesperus , [ 21 , 23 ]), as do post-copulatory mechanisms that could affect paternity if females remate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-copulatory choices drive post-copulatory decisions: mechanisms of female control shift across different life stages

et al. 2023

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Background The ‘wallflower’ hypothesis proposes females mate indiscriminately to avoid reproductive delays. Post-copulatory mechanisms may then allow ‘trading up’, favouring paternity of future mates. We tested links between pre- and post-copulatory choice in Latrodectus geometricus female spiders paired sequentially with two males. These females copulate as adults or as subadults and store sperm in paired spermathecae. Choosy adults have a higher risk of delays to reproduction than subadults. Results We predicted low pre-copulatory, but high post-copulatory choice at first matings for adults and the opposite for subadults. At second matings, we expected all females would prefer males superior to their first. We found all females mated indiscriminately at their first pairing, but in contrast to subadults, adults usually allowed only a single insertion (leaving one of their paired spermatheca empty); a mechanism of post-copulatory choosiness. Adult-mated females were more likely to remate than subadult-mated females when they became adults, showing a preference for larger males, while subadult-mated females tended to prefer males of greater size-corrected mass. Conclusions Our results show that the ‘wallflower’ effect and ‘trading up’ tactics can be utilized at different life stages, allowing females to employ choice even if rejecting males is costly.

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Female control of a novel form of cannibalism during copulation in a South American widow spider

Baruffaldi

Andrade

2021

Behavioural Processes

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Immature mating as a tactic of polygynous male western widow spiders

Cited by 7 publications

References 18 publications

Functional morphology of immature mating in a widow spider

Functional morphology of immature mating in a widow spider

Pre-copulatory choices drive post-copulatory decisions: mechanisms of female control shift across different life stages

Female control of a novel form of cannibalism during copulation in a South American widow spider

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