Frequent misdirected courtship in a natural community of colorful Habronattus jumping spiders
نویسندگان
چکیده
Male courtship display is common in many animals; in some cases, males engage in courtship indiscriminately, spending significant time and energy courting heterospecifics with whom they have no chance of mating or producing viable offspring. Due to high costs and few if any benefits, we might expect mechanisms to evolve to reduce such misdirected courtship (or 'reproductive interference'). In Habronattus jumping spiders, males frequently court heterospecifics with whom they do not mate or hybridize; females are larger and are voracious predators, posing a severe risk to males who court indiscriminately. In this study, we examined patterns of misdirected courtship in a natural community of four sympatric Habronattus species (H. clypeatus, H. hallani, H. hirsutus, and H. pyrrithrix). We used direct field observations to weigh support for two hypotheses (differential microhabitat use and species recognition signaling) to explain how these species reduce the costs associated with misdirected courtship. We show that, while the four species of Habronattus do show some differences in microhabitat use, all four species still overlap substantially, and in three of the four species individuals equally encountered heterospecifics and conspecifics. Males courted females at every opportunity, regardless of species, and in some cases, this led to aggression and predation by the female. These results suggest that, while differences in microhabitat use might reduce misdirected courtship to some extent, co-existence of these four species may be possible due to complex communication (i.e. species-specific elements of a male's courtship display). This study is the first to examine misdirected courtship in jumping spiders. Studies of misdirected courtship and its consequences in the field are limited and may broaden our understanding of how biodiversity is maintained within a community.
منابع مشابه
Spectral filtering enables trichromatic vision in colorful jumping spiders
Figure 1. Spectral filtering of Habronattus pyrrithrix photoreceptors. (A) Courtship display of male H. pyrrithrix (photo: Colin Hutton). (B) Boomerang-shaped retinas superimposed on principal eye lenses, small red area indicates filter position. (C) Red filter pigment visible in unstained coronal cryosection (14 μm thick) of the principal retina. (D) Tiered retina structure in thin horizontal ...
متن کاملNew species of Habronattus and Pellenes jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae, Harmochirina)
The harmochirine jumping spiders include the New World Habronattus, notable for their complex courtship displays, and Pellenes, found throughout the Old World and North America. Five new species of Habronattus and one new species of Pellenes are here described from North America: Habronattus aestus, sp. n., Habronattus chamelasp. n., Habronattus empyrussp. n., Habronattus luminosussp. n., Habro...
متن کاملThe effect of substrate on the efficacy of seismic courtship signal transmission in the jumping spider Habronattus dossenus (Araneae: Salticidae).
The jumping spider Habronattus dossenus Griswold 1987 (Salticidae) communicates using seismic signals during courtship and can be found on rocks, sand and leaf litter. We examined the filtering properties of, and tested the efficacy of male courtship signals on, these natural substrates. These substrates have drastically different filtering properties at the distances at which the males court. ...
متن کاملDivergence and reticulation among montane populations of a jumping spider (Habronattus pugillis Griswold).
Populations of the jumping spider Habronattus pugillis Griswold isolated on nearby mountain ranges in southern Arizona are differentiated in many features of the males (color, shape, and orientation of setae on face; shape of carapace; markings of palpi and legs; motions during courtship behavior). These features are (mostly) consistent within a range and different between ranges. The concentra...
متن کاملSeismic signals are crucial for male mating success in a visual specialist jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae)
The diversity of courtship displays throughout the animal kingdom is immense and displays can range from seemingly simple, to incredibly complex. Signalers often possess elaborate morphological adaptations for signals directed at a specific sensory modality in receivers. In some cases, these signals are so compelling to human observers, the possibility that important signals exist in other sens...
متن کامل