Papers in the Biological Sciences

 

Date of this Version

2022

Citation

Arachnology (2022) 19 (3), 597–603

Comments

Copyright © 2022 British Arachnological Society.

Abstract

Courtship and copulation behaviours are yet scantily described in many spider families, and this lack of information limits our understanding of the evolution of such behaviours within and across families. Here, we provide a detailed description of both courtship and copulation behaviour for Oecobius concinnus Simon, 1893. A striking characteristic of the male courtship is the construction of a tubular web (mating web) in which most courtship and copulation occurs. This web likely functions to restrain the female in a reduced space and as a substrate for male pheromones. The courtship consists of a complex web of interactions between both sexes, with some interactions being nonrandomly performed.

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