Video Content
How to translate text using browser tools
11 March 2022 Together but not intertwined: differences in sexual behavior between two sympatric and synchronic spider species, including one new synonymy (Araneae: Tetragnathidae: Tetragnatha)
Franco Cargnelutti, Fedra Bollatti, Matías A. Izquierdo, Pedro de S. Castanheira, Renner Luiz Cerqueira Baptista, Gilbert Barrantes, Anita Aisenberg
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Species recognition and reproductive isolation are critical for organisms to prevent expensive and unsuccessful matings. This may be particularly important in closely related species that coexist synchronously in the same habitat, and for which reproductive barriers are not entirely effective. Tetragnatha argentinensis Mello-Leitão, 1931 and T. nitens (Audouin, 1826) are two long-jawed orb weaver spiders whose feeding grounds and reproductive phenology overlap extensively. Since general patterns of sexual behavior observed in the field showed no apparent differences between these two species, we proposed to evaluate the occurrence of heterospecific mating, and explored the occurrence of potential reproductive isolation mechanisms between them by analyzing in fine scale the mating behaviors of each species and sex. We observed only one heterospecific mating, and few or no sexual interactions occurred in other crossed trials. We found that both species showed similar general mating patterns, however, there are some subtle differences between them. In T. nitens, males clasped the female's chelicerae with their own, but the opposite occurred in T. argentinensis. Moreover, males of T. nitens produced fewer hematodochal inflations, lower number of flubs, and shorter insertions than males of T. argentinensis. Females of T. argentinensis vibrated their abdomen at a higher rate. Our results indicate that these sympatric Tetragnatha species have successful reproductive isolation that probably takes place through recognition mechanisms occurring prior to mating. We provide an update on the taxonomic status of T. argentinensis and its distribution, and a new junior synonymy.

Franco Cargnelutti, Fedra Bollatti, Matías A. Izquierdo, Pedro de S. Castanheira, Renner Luiz Cerqueira Baptista, Gilbert Barrantes, and Anita Aisenberg "Together but not intertwined: differences in sexual behavior between two sympatric and synchronic spider species, including one new synonymy (Araneae: Tetragnathidae: Tetragnatha)," The Journal of Arachnology 50(1), 67-80, (11 March 2022). https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-21-006
Received: 25 January 2021; Accepted: 17 August 2021; Published: 11 March 2022
KEYWORDS
Long-jawed spiders
pre-mating recognition
reproductive isolation
sympatric species
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top