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The role of high-contrast male facial stripes in mitigating female aggression in the jumping spider, Plexippus paykulli

Humbel, Ellen1

Published Sep 28, 2023; Updated Sep 27, 2023 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bcc2fqzh5

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Abstract

Vibrant male coloration and energetic courtship displays set jumping spiders apart from most arachnids, which typically rely on non-visual stimuli. Like many other spiders, female salticids engage in sexual cannibalism, making courtship a risky but necessary endeavor for males. In this study, we investigated the relationship between male coloration and female aggression to better understand the interplay of attraction and aversion during courtship.

Many male jumping spiders sport conspicuous coloration or high-contrast patterns that are reminiscent of the coloration of many aposematic insects. The faces of Plexippus paykulli males are adorned with bold vertical stripes they direct toward females during courtship. We hypothesized that these stripes could function as a sensory trap, leveraging female aversion to the signal to reduce the likelihood of cannibalism.

We tested whether spiders exhibit an aversion to stripes in the context of predation by manipulating prey coloration and testing spider preference for prey based on the presence or absence of stripes. Then we conducted two courtship experiments by manipulating male facial coloration to determine whether the presence of male stripes affects female aggression and likelihood of mating. We also manipulated female foraging drive in each courtship experiment (either diet or mating status) to see whether common sources of natural variation among females influenced response to courting males. We found that spiders showed an aversion to stripes while foraging but that this aversion does not confer reduced aggression from females toward striped males vs. males with stripes obscured. However, stripes did affect the likelihood of male reproductive success, as striped males mounted females more frequently than non-striped males. Finally, female condition influenced female response to courting males, with hungrier females showing higher aggression and previously mated females being mounted less frequently than non-mated females.