The function of the secretory cephalic hump in males of the dwarf spider Oedothorax retusus (Linyphiidae: Erigoninae)

Kunz, Katrin; Garbe, Stephan; Uhl, Gabriele

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.11.028

Cited by 21 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In linyphiid spiders, modifications of the male "head" are apparently always accompanied by glands that discharge their products through pores easily visible in the SEM (Schaible et al 1986). Sexual selection by female choice (via gustatorial courtship) is the most plausible explanation for this group of spiders (Vanacker et al 2003;Kunz et al 2012), but the few species with real eye stalks (such as Walckenaeria acuminata Blackwall, 1833) have never been studied in detail. The same is unfortunately true of certain theridiid spiders with similar long eye stalks [e.g., Phoroncidia longiceps (Keyserling, 1886); see Levi 1964].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fairly well studied exceptions are certain linyphiid species where the male "head" or ocular area is modified, presumably as a result of sexual selection: males take advantage of the fact that the female mouthparts contact their ocular region during copulation and modify this region in an attempt to manipulate females (e.g., Schaible et al 1986;Vanacker et al 2003;Kunz et al 2012). Usually, these modifications come in the form of low humps or turrets, but rarely also as (unpaired median) stalks, such as in Walckenaeria acuminata Blackwall, 1833.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolution of genital asymmetry, exaggerated eye stalks, and extreme palpal elongation in Panjange spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae)

Huber

Nuñeza

2015

EJT

820

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Abstract. We describe several new species of the previously monotypic Panjange lanthana species group from the Philippines and document their extraordinary morphology. Some species show strong male genital asymmetry, a phenomenon that seems to be exceedingly rare in spiders. Males of most species have eye stalks, and in two species these eye stalks are among the longest ever recorded in spiders. Some species show a tendency for male genital (pedipalp) elongation, and one species has the longest and thinnest palps ever recorded in Pholcidae. A cladistic analysis is performed including all described and several undescribed species of Panjange (except for one "problem species"), supporting the lanthana group and its close relationship with members of the possibly paraphyletic cavicola group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of genital asymmetry, exaggerated eye stalks, and extreme palpal elongation in Panjange spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae)

Huber

Nuñeza

2015

EJT

820

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“…Because plug material is placed onto the genital opening only after sperm transfer (Uhl et al ., ), a normal plug deposition corroborates that sperm transfer had taken place. When two males use opposite copulatory ducts, each male sires 50% of the offspring on average (Kunz et al ., ). The similar copulation duration and plugging success of subsequent ipsilateral and contralateral mating males as detected in our study suggest that side‐shifting males may not be at a disadvantage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Mating behaviors of males and females were observed as described in Kunz et al . (). For details on rearing and housing of individuals, see Kunz et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…As soon as the male succeeds in coupling, his pedipalp is rotated (see http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jzo.12277/suppinfo), the membranous part of his pedipalp (hematodocha, Fig. a,e) inflates and sperm transfer starts (Kunz, Garbe & Uhl, ). While conducting a study on the efficacy of mating plugs in which virgin females were mated with two males in succession (Kunz et al ., ), we were able to explore if the insertion mode is static as generally assumed or flexible.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Paired and complex copulatory organs: do they really impede flexible use?

2015

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Animals with internal fertilization possess complex male genitalia that are characterized by rapid and divergent evolution. Such complexity and divergence renders male genitalia highly species specific. Furthermore, in species with paired genitalia in males and females as is typically the case in spiders, the genital complexity is considered to restrict usage of each male intromittent organ (pedipalp) to a specific genital opening of the female genitalia. Here, we report cases of flexible pedipalp insertion (16%) in the dwarf spider Oedothorax retusus – a species with complex pedipalps. A flexible insertion mode allows males of this species to react to the mating history of the female by circumventing the highly effective mating plugs and mating into the unused side. Our findings disagree with the species isolating lock‐and‐key hypothesis for explaining divergence in genital morphology as the ‘key’ can be applied to the mirror‐inversed female ‘lock’ in the spider species O. retusus. Rather, our data suggest that sexual selection is an important underlying selective regime for the evolution of highly complex and diverse genitalia.

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Silk wrapping of nuptial gifts as visual signal for female attraction in a crepuscular spider

Trillo

Melo-González

Albo

2014

Naturwissenschaften

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An extensive diversity of nuptial gifts is known in invertebrates, but prey wrapped in silk is a unique type of gift present in few insects and spiders. Females from spider species prefer males offering a gift accepting more and longer matings than when males offered no gift. Silk wrapping of the gift is not essential to obtain a mating, but appears to increase the chance of a mating evidencing a particularly intriguing function of this trait. Consequently, as other secondary sexual traits, silk wrapping may be an important trait under sexual selection, if it is used by females as a signal providing information on male quality. We aimed to understand whether the white color of wrapped gifts is used as visual signal during courtship in the spider Paratrechalea ornata. We studied if a patch of white paint on the males' chelicerae is attractive to females by exposing females to males: with their chelicerae painted white; without paint; and with the sternum painted white (paint control). Females contacted males with white chelicerae more often and those males obtained higher mating success than other males. Thereafter, we explored whether silk wrapping is a condition-dependent trait and drives female visual attraction. We exposed good and poor condition males, carrying a prey, to the female silk. Males in poor condition added less silk to the prey than males in good condition, indicating that gift wrapping is an indicator of male quality and may be used by females to acquire information of the potential mate.

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The function of the secretory cephalic hump in males of the dwarf spider Oedothorax retusus (Linyphiidae: Erigoninae)

Cited by 21 publications

References 25 publications

Evolution of genital asymmetry, exaggerated eye stalks, and extreme palpal elongation in Panjange spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae)

Evolution of genital asymmetry, exaggerated eye stalks, and extreme palpal elongation in Panjange spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae)

Paired and complex copulatory organs: do they really impede flexible use?

Silk wrapping of nuptial gifts as visual signal for female attraction in a crepuscular spider

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