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1 August 2003 IS THE HAIRY GROOVE IN THE GIBBOSUS MALE MORPH OF OEDOTHORAX GIBBOSUS (BLACKWALL 1841) A NUPTIAL FEEDING DEVICE?
Danny Vanacker, Liesbeth Maes, Sylvia Pardo, Frederik Hendrickx, Jean-Pierre Maelfait
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Abstract

Oedothorax gibbosus (Blackwall 1841) (Erigoninae, Linyphiidae, Araneae) is a dwarf spider characterized by dimorphic males. There is a “gibbosus” male morph characterized by a hunch on the posterior third of the carapace, anterior to which is a hairy groove, and a “tuberosus” morph without these features. We observed several gustatorial courtship interactions by a gibbosus male morph and a conspecific female as well as a by a gibbosus male and a male of the closely related species, Oedothorax fuscus (Blackwall 1834). These interactions suggest that the hairy groove in the gibbosus male morph is a nuptial feeding device possibly under the influence of sexual selection. The interspecific interactions can possibly be interpreted as ‘robbings' of the nuptial feeding. The interspecific interactions indicate that the cephalic structure of gibbosus probably does not function as a “lock and key” mechanism.

Danny Vanacker, Liesbeth Maes, Sylvia Pardo, Frederik Hendrickx, and Jean-Pierre Maelfait "IS THE HAIRY GROOVE IN THE GIBBOSUS MALE MORPH OF OEDOTHORAX GIBBOSUS (BLACKWALL 1841) A NUPTIAL FEEDING DEVICE?," The Journal of Arachnology 31(2), 309-315, (1 August 2003). https://doi.org/10.1636/s02-06
Received: 18 March 2002; Published: 1 August 2003
KEYWORDS
gustatorial courtship
interspecific courtship
nuptial feeding
Oedothorax fuscus
Oedothorax gibbosus
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