scholarly journals Optimal numbers of matings: the conditional balance between benefits and costs of mating for females of a nuptial gift-giving spider

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 457-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Toft ◽  
M. J. Albo
Keyword(s):  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Benefits And Costs

scholarly journals Sexual receptivity varies according to female age in a Neotropical nuptial gift-giving spider

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
André L. Klein ◽  
Mariana C. Trillo ◽  
Maria J. Albo
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Receptivity ◽  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Female Age

scholarly journals Size-dependent mating pattern in a nuptial gift-giving insect

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 454-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Dorková ◽  
Ladislav Naďo ◽  
Benjamín Jarčuška ◽  
Peter Kaňuch
Keyword(s):  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Mating Pattern ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Size Dependent

scholarly journals Thanatosis as an adaptive male mating strategy in the nuptial gift–giving spider Pisaura mirabilis

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 546-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line Spinner Hansen ◽  
Sofia Fernandez Gonzales ◽  
Søren Toft ◽  
Trine Bilde
Keyword(s):  
Mating Strategy ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Pisaura Mirabilis

scholarly journals Condition-dependent differences in male vibratory pre-copulatory and copulatory courtship in a nuptial gift-giving spider

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika J. B. Eberhard ◽  
Alexandra Machnis ◽  
Gabriele Uhl
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Vibrational Communication ◽  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Nuptial Gifts ◽  
Male Condition ◽  
Vibrational Signals ◽  
Copulatory Courtship ◽  
The Gift

Abstract Condition-dependent secondary sexual traits and signals are often crucial for mate choice decisions. Nuptial gifts, provided by the male to the female during mating, may represent an indicator of male condition, especially if production of the gift is energetically costly. Additionally, other signalling modalities may well play a role in mate choice in such systems. Females of the nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis preferably mate with males that provide a prey item wrapped in silk. Apart from the nuptial gift, vibrational signals employed during courtship and mating may reveal additional information about male condition. We tested condition-dependence of male vibrational signals of well-fed versus starved males, when in contact with female dragline silk and during mating trials. Our results show that vibrational signals are produced in P. mirabilis, both during pre-copulatory courtship and during copulation. Male courtship signals were condition-dependent: males in good condition initiated signalling earlier and emitted more vibrational pulses than poor-condition males. They were also more likely to be accepted by the female for copulation. We additionally identified vibrational signals during copulation. These signals were different from pre-copulatory courtship vibrations but did not differ between the treatment groups. This study shows that vibrational communication plays an important role before and during copulation in P. mirabilis. It sets the stage for further experiments on spider biotremology associated with nuptial gift giving behaviour. Significance statement Male courtship behaviour can indicate a male’s condition and quality and be subject to female mate choice. Vibrational communication during mating plays a crucial role in many animal species. Spiders are known to be extremely sensitive towards vibrations, and there is evidence that vibratory signals are also used during courtship. Here, we study the nuptial gift-giving spider Pisaura mirabilis in which courtship entails providing a nuptial gift by the male to the female. The gift quality determines on the probability and duration of mating. We investigated the role of vibrational behaviour in this species by standardizing nuptial gifts. Our study demonstrates that vibratory signals comprise information about the male’s condition, that signals are also produced during mating and that courtship and copulatory signals are strikingly different. We suggest that vibrational communication provides important condition-dependent traits for female mate choice in addition to the nuptial gift.

Extreme Male Mating Behaviours: Anecdotes in a Nuptial Gift-Giving Spider

Arachnology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 273-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Ghislandi ◽  
Trine Bilde ◽  
Cristina Tuni
Keyword(s):  
Male Mating ◽  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Gift Giving

scholarly journals Evolution of deceit by worthless donations in a nuptial gift-giving spider

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Giovanni Ghislandi ◽  
Maria J. Albo ◽  
Cristina Tuni ◽  
Trine Bilde
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Sperm Transfer ◽  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Sexual Competition ◽  
Alternative Mating Strategy ◽  
Foraging Preferences ◽  
The Gift

Abstract Males of the nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis usually offer an insect prey wrapped in white silk as a nuptial gift to facilitate copulation. Males exploit female foraging preferences in a sexual context as females feed on the gift during copulation. It is possible for males to copulate without a gift, however strong female preference for the gift leads to dramatically higher mating success for gift-giving males. Females are polyandrous, and gift-giving males achieve higher mating success, longer copulations, and increased sperm transfer that confer advantages in sperm competition. Intriguingly, field studies show that approximately one third of males carry a worthless gift consisting of dry and empty insect exoskeletons or plant fragments wrapped in white silk. Silk wrapping disguises gift content and females are able to disclose gift content only after accepting and feeding on the gift, meanwhile males succeed in transferring sperm. The evolution of deceit by worthless gift donation may be favoured by strong intra-sexual competition and costs of gift-construction including prey capture, lost foraging opportunities and investment in silk wrapping. Females that receive empty worthless gifts terminate copulation sooner, which reduces sperm transfer and likely disadvantages males in sperm competition. The gift-giving trait may thus become a target of sexually antagonistic co-evolution, where deceit by worthless gifts leads to female resistance to the trait. We discuss factors such as female mating rate and intensity of sperm competition that may shape the evolution of male deception, and how ecological factors may influence the evolution and maintenance of worthless gifts as an evolutionarily stable alternative mating strategy by frequency dependent selection.

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