Biting and binding: an exclusive coercive mating strategy of
males in a philodromid spider

J 2020

Biting and binding: an exclusive coercive mating strategy of males in a philodromid spider

SENTENSKÁ, Lenka, Ondrej ŠEDO and Stanislav PEKÁR

Basic information

Original name

Biting and binding: an exclusive coercive mating strategy of males in a philodromid spider

Authors

SENTENSKÁ, Lenka (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Ondrej ŠEDO (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Stanislav PEKÁR (703 Slovakia, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Animal Behaviour, London, Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd, 2020, 0003-3472

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

10613 Zoology

Country of publisher

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 2.844

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14310/20:00117091

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.001

UT WoS

000581858400009

Keywords in English

bridal veil; female resistance; forced copulation; venom

Abstract

V originále

Males typically court females extensively to convince them to mate. In some species, however, males coerce females to mate. We studied mating behaviour in the spider Thanatus fabricii and focused on behavioural and venomic adaptations. We found that males always bit and bound females before and during mating. The bitten females quickly fell into a state of immobility, during which males copulated with them. The duration of male bites increased with increasing size of the female. In contrast, male bites were shorter if the female was missing legs. Additionally, males with relatively longer legs induced longer states of immobility in females. Binding by silk prolonged the state of immobilization, allowing males to perform more insertions. After copulation, females were less successful in catching their prey (ants), suggesting that this mating strategy negatively affects female fitness. Altogether, this evidence shows that mating in T. fabricii is coercive. Males of T. fabricii had relatively larger venom glands than both conspecific females and males of closely related Philodromus species, which court females. The composition of venom, however, did not differ between the sexes. Male venom glands appear to be adapted to coercive mating rather than to foraging, as they caught fewer prey than closely related species. We suggest that coercive mating in T. fabricii may be enabled by venomic adaptation in the males.

Links

LM2018127, research and development project

Name: Česká infrastruktura pro integrativní strukturní biologii (Acronym: CIISB)

Investor: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR

90127, large research infrastructures

Name: CIISB II

Citovat

SENTENSKÁ, Lenka, Ondrej ŠEDO and Stanislav PEKÁR. Biting and binding: an exclusive coercive mating strategy of males in a philodromid spider. Animal Behaviour. London: Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd, 2020, vol. 168, OCT, p. 59-68. ISSN 0003-3472. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.001.

@article{1699417,
   author = {Sentenská, Lenka and Šedo, Ondrej and Pekár, Stanislav},
   article_location = {London},
   article_number = {OCT},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.001},
   keywords = {bridal veil; female resistance; forced copulation; venom},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {0003-3472},
   journal = {Animal Behaviour},
   title = {Biting and binding: an exclusive coercive mating strategy of males in a philodromid spider},
   url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.001},
   volume = {168},
   year = {2020}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1699417
AU  - Sentenská, Lenka - Šedo, Ondrej - Pekár, Stanislav
PY  - 2020
TI  - Biting and binding: an exclusive coercive mating strategy of males in a philodromid spider
JF  - Animal Behaviour
VL  - 168
IS  - OCT
SP  - 59-68
EP  - 59-68
PB  - Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd
SN  - 00033472
KW  - bridal veil
KW  - female resistance
KW  - forced copulation
KW  - venom
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.001
L2  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.001
N2  - Males typically court females extensively to convince them to mate. In some species, however, males coerce females to mate. We studied mating behaviour in the spider Thanatus fabricii and focused on behavioural and venomic adaptations. We found that males always bit and bound females before and during mating. The bitten females quickly fell into a state of immobility, during which males copulated with them. The duration of male bites increased with increasing size of the female. In contrast, male bites were shorter if the female was missing legs. Additionally, males with relatively longer legs induced longer states of immobility in females. Binding by silk prolonged the state of immobilization, allowing males to perform more insertions. After copulation, females were less successful in catching their prey (ants), suggesting that this mating strategy negatively affects female fitness. Altogether, this evidence shows that mating in T. fabricii is coercive. Males of T. fabricii had relatively larger venom glands than both conspecific females and males of closely related Philodromus species, which court females. The composition of venom, however, did not differ between the sexes. Male venom glands appear to be adapted to coercive mating rather than to foraging, as they caught fewer prey than closely related species. We suggest that coercive mating in T. fabricii may be enabled by venomic adaptation in the males.
ER  -

SENTENSKÁ, Lenka, Ondrej ŠEDO and Stanislav PEKÁR. Biting and binding: an exclusive coercive mating strategy of males in a philodromid spider. \textit{Animal Behaviour}. London: Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd, 2020, vol.~168, OCT, p.~59-68. ISSN~0003-3472. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.001.

Detailed Information on Publication Record