Mating system in the tarantula spider Eupalaestrus weijenberghi (Thorell, 1894): Evidences of monandry and polygyny

Pérez‐Miles, Fernando; Postiglioni, Rodrigo; de, Laura Montes; Baruffaldi, Luciana; Costa, Fernando Guilherme Perazzo

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2007.01.001

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…However, monogamy may evolve through several mechanisms (Hosken et al 2009), and recent studies indicate that the occurrence of monandry in female spiders is more widespread and prevalent than previously thought. It has thus been found both in mygalomorph Theraphosidae (Perez-Miles et al 2007), and in the araneomorph families Agelenidae (Singer and Reichert 1995), Lycosidae (Norton and Uetz 2005), and Theridiidae (Jones and Parker 2008). In all these examples, female monandry is combined with male polygyny, and this is certainly also the case in L. triangularis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Mating duration and sperm precedence in the spider Linyphia triangularis

Weldingh

Toft

Larsen

2010

J Ethol

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In many animal species, mating behaviour is highly ritualised, which may allow us to relate some of its consequences, e.g. male paternity and female receptivity, to the progression of phases in the mating sequence; at the same time, ritualisation raises the question of to what extent the partners, especially the males, are able to influence the outcome of mating for their own benefit. We studied the linyphiid spider Linyphia triangularis in which mating follows a strict sequence during which the male inducts two droplets of sperm and transfers them to the female. We performed sperm competition experiments (sterile-male technique) including four treatments, in which the copulation of the first male was interrupted at prescribed phases of the mating sequence, while the second male was allowed a complete mating. Second males spent a shorter time than first males on the behaviours prior to sperm transfer, but the amount of sperm (2 droplets) and the time spent in sperm transfer were independent of the females' mating status. The proportion of females accepting the second male depended on the mating duration of the first male, i.e. whether the first male had transferred one or two sperm droplets. After a complete first mating, most females accepted no further males. A last-male sperm precedence was apparent if only half of the first sperm droplet had been transferred by the first male, but this switched to a first male precedence if one full sperm droplet had been transferred. Thus, even in the face of sperm competition, it is sufficient for the first male to transfer one sperm droplet. The second sperm droplet and the extended copulatory courtship associated with its transfer may serve to induce a lack of receptivity in the female, but the males seem unable to enhance their reproductive success through variable copulatory tactics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Mating duration and sperm precedence in the spider Linyphia triangularis

Weldingh

Toft

Larsen

2010

J Ethol

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“…This result could be explained by the conspicuous sexual differences in the biology of adults. Males live approximately two months as adults, and after maturation molt considerably increase their locomotion to search for females, while females live several years and are strictly burrowers ( Pérez-Miles et al, 2005 , 2007 ). The intense locomotion of males produces body deterioration ( Pérez-Miles et al, 2005 ) and consequently wastage of adhesive pads reducing friction values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae) use different adhesive pads complementarily during climbing on smooth surfaces: experimental approach in eight arboreal and burrower species

2015

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Tarantulas are large spiders with adhesive setae on their legs, which enable them to climb on smooth vertical surfaces. The mechanism proposed to explain adhesion in tarantulas is anisotropic friction, where friction is higher when the leg pushes than when it pulls. However, previous studies and measurements of adhesion in theraphosids were performed using dead specimens. To test their ability to climb, we studied static friction of live theraphosid spiders on different surfaces and at different inclines. We compared burrower with arboreal species to test the hypothesis of higher friction in arboreal tarantulas. We found a complementary participation of claw tufts and scopula of anterior and posterior legs when the tarantula climbs. The mechanics of climbing in association with the biological characteristics of the species are discussed.

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“…Alternatively, given that upon maturity many male tarantulas will leave their retreats and wander in search of females [24][25][26], it is plausible that different selective pressures other than sexual selection could be driving sexual dimorphism. For instance, certain colours are either aposematic or cryptic under moonlight [27,28], and therefore useful to the wandering male but not to the fossorial female.…”

Section: Discussion (A) Blueness Is Probably Ancestral To Theraphosidaementioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of coloration and opsins in tarantulas

2020

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Tarantulas paradoxically exhibit a diverse palette of vivid coloration despite their crepuscular to nocturnal habits. The evolutionary origin and maintenance of these colours remains mysterious. In this study, we reconstructed the ancestral states of both blue and green coloration in tarantula setae, and tested how these colours correlate with presence of stridulation, urtication and arboreality. Green coloration has probably evolved at least eight times, and blue coloration is probably an ancestral condition that appears to be lost more frequently than gained. While our results indicate that neither colour correlates with the presence of stridulation or urtication, the evolution of green coloration appears to depend upon the presence of arboreality, suggesting that it ptobably originated for and functions in crypsis through substrate matching among leaves. We also constructed a network of opsin homologues across tarantula transcriptomes. Despite their crepuscular tendencies, tarantulas express a considerable diversity of opsin genes—a finding that contradicts current consensus that tarantulas have poor colour vision on the basis of low opsin diversity. Overall, our findings raise the possibility that blue coloration could have ultimately evolved via sexual selection and perhaps proximately be used in mate choice or predation avoidance due to possible sex differences in mate-searching.

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Mating system in the tarantula spider Eupalaestrus weijenberghi (Thorell, 1894): Evidences of monandry and polygyny

Cited by 25 publications

References 15 publications

Mating duration and sperm precedence in the spider Linyphia triangularis

Mating duration and sperm precedence in the spider Linyphia triangularis

Tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae) use different adhesive pads complementarily during climbing on smooth surfaces: experimental approach in eight arboreal and burrower species

The evolution of coloration and opsins in tarantulas

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