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Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on November 28, 2006
Behavioral Ecology 2007 18(1):174-181; doi:10.1093/beheco/arl074
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Genital damage in the orb-web spider Argiope bruennichi (Araneae: Araneidae) increases paternity success

Stefan H. Nesslera,b, Gabriele Uhlb and Jutta M. Schneidera

a Biozentrum Grindel, Department of Ethology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany b Institute of Zoology, Department of Neuroethology, University of Bonn, Germany

Address correspondence to S.H. Nessler. E-mail: stefan.nessler{at}web.de.


  Abstract

The morphology of male genitalia often suggests functions besides sperm transfer that may have evolved under natural or sexual selection. In several species of sexually cannibalistic spiders, males damage their paired genitalia during mating, limiting them to one copulation per pedipalp. Using a triple-mating experiment, we tested if genital damage in the orb-web spider Argiope bruennichi increases male fitness either through facilitating his escape from an aggressive female or by obstructing the female's insemination ducts against future copulation attempts from other males. We found no survival advantage for males damaging their pedipalps; however, copulations into a previously used insemination duct were significantly shorter when the previous male had left parts of his genitalia inside the insemination duct. Because copulation duration determines paternity in this species, our result suggests that male genital damage in A. bruennichi is sexually selected. By breaking off parts of their intromittent organs inside a virgin female, males can reduce sperm competition and thereby increase their paternity success.

Key words: mating plug, sexual cannibalism, sexual conflict, sexual selection, sperm competition.


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