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Flexibility in the multi-modal courtship of a wolf spider, Schizocosa ocreata

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Abstract

Male Schizocosa ocreata wolf spiders court females with synchronous visual and seismic displays. We tested whether male S. ocreata modify their courtship in relation to light environment, and associated utility of the visual components. Males were generally more active and more likely to perform the major courtship element (‘jerky tapping’) when in the light. One courtship element (‘arching’) was only observed in the light while another (‘vertical leg-extend’) was only observed in the dark. Courtship in the dark retained ‘visual’ components, suggesting spiders cannot disengage these components of multi-modal display even when superfluous. Once initiated, there was no evidence that performance rate or time spent in each courtship element differed in the light and in the dark.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a US National Science Foundation grant (IBN 9906446) to G.WU., a University of Cincinnati Post-doctoral Fellowship to PWT and a Macquarie University Research Development Grant to P.W.T. We are grateful to the Cincinnati Nature Center for permission to collect spiders on their property. Casey Harris provided constructive criticism on the manuscript. We appreciate the assistance of Samantha Morgan, Laura Pfeiffer, Melissa Salpietra and Chris Kluener in collection and rearing of spiders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2107, Australia

    Phillip W. Taylor

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    J. Andrew Roberts & George W. Uetz

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  1. Phillip W. Taylor
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  2. J. Andrew Roberts
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  3. George W. Uetz
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Correspondence to Phillip W. Taylor.

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Taylor, P.W., Roberts, J.A. & Uetz, G.W. Flexibility in the multi-modal courtship of a wolf spider, Schizocosa ocreata. J Ethol 23, 71–75 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-004-0129-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-004-0129-z

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