The document summarizes a study on male mate choice in the grey wall jumping spider (Menemerus bivittatus). The study tested whether males preferred larger or younger females. It found that males did not significantly prefer larger or younger females. The small sample size may have limited the ability to support the hypotheses. Insights into male mate choice could benefit spider conservation efforts. More research with larger samples is needed to better understand factors that influence male mate choice in this species.

1. Male Mate Choice in Menemerus bivittatus
Jumping Spiders
Babbie Suarez
Ratna Lama

2. Background: Mate Choice
 Why choose a mate?
 Higher reproductive success
 Viable offspring
 Female mate choice
 Choosy
 Parental care/cost
 Good gene hypothesis
 Quality traits
 Example: Peacock tail

3. Background: Male Mate Choice
 Not known for choosiness
 Pass genes
 Less parental care
 Size preference
 Larger females
 Example: Poecilia reticulate
 Trinidadian Guppies
 Non-virgin female preference
 Example: Littorina subrotundata
 Northern Pacific Gastropods
 Virgin female preference

4. Background: General Jumping Spider Information
 Menemerus bivittatus
 Grey wall jumping spider
 Good eyesight
 Hunting
 Mating
 Elaborate courting behavior
 Visual cues
 Vibrational cues

5. Objective:
 Male mate choice in grey wall jumping spider
  age and/or size of female

6. Hypotheses:
 Size
 Test if male Menemerus bivittaus spiders will choose larger females over smaller
females of the same age
 Age
 Test if the male Menemerus bivittaus spiders will choose younger females over
older females of the same size

7. Prediction:
 Size
 Males  Larger Female
 Age
 Males  Younger Female

8. Supplies:

9. Methodology:
 Catch Spiders
 Jar
 Store

10. Methodology: Labeling

11. Methodology:
 Separate
 Pair
 Record

12. Methodology: Set-up

13. Methodology:

14. Methodology: Mate Choice

15. Methodology: Clean-up

16. Results: Female A(S) vs. Female A(B)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A(S) A(B) No Choice
MaleChoice(%)
Females
Male Mate Choice in Menemerus bivittatus
Chosen

17. Results: Female J(B) vs. Female A(B)
Male Comments Response
J(S) Chose A(B) +
J(B) Aggressive -
J(B) Chose A(B) +
A(S) Chose A(B) +
A(B) Chose A(B) +
A(B) Chose A(B) +

18. Results: Female J(B) vs. Female A(B)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
J(B) A(B) No Choice
MaleChoice(%)
Females
Male Mate Choice in Menemerus bivittatus
Chosen

19. Results: Female J(B) vs. Female J(S)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
J(B) J(S) No Choice
MaleChoice(%)
Females
Male Mate Choice in Menemerus bivittatus
Chosen

20. Results: Negative (No Choice) Response
Note:
Aggressive
Behavior not
video recorded

21. Results: Positive Response
Note:
Recorded
which female
was chosen

22. Discussion:
 Did not support either hypothesis
 Size based hypothesis not significant enough
 Small sample size
 Age Based Hypothesis
 Sexually Mature vs. Sexually Immature
 More studies for age maturity
 Younger Sexually Mature vs. Older Sexually Mature
 More studies for size
 Bigger sample size needed
 Significance
 Insight on male mate choice
 Conservation efforts

23. Summary:
 Spider mating habits
 Male mate choice
 Did not support hypotheses
 Males  More Matured Females
 Insightful for male mate choice

24. Special Thanks:
 Dr. Neudorf
 Supplies
 Guidance
 Dr. Bucheli
 Entomology Lab
 Video Recorder/ Camera
 Advice

25. References:
 Dakin, R., & Montgomerie, R. (2013). Eye For An Eyespot: How Iridescent Plumage Ocelli Influence Peacock Mating
Success. Behavioral Ecology, 1048-1057.
 Edwards, G. B., & Jackson, R. R. (1994). The role of experience in the development of predatory behaviour in Phidippus
regius, a jumping spider (Araneae, Salticidae) from Florida. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 21(3), 269-277.
doi:10.1080/03014223.1994.9517994
 Elias, D. O., Sivalinghem, S., Mason, A. C., Andrade, M. C., & Kasumovic, M. M. (2010). Vibratory Communication in the
Jumping Spider Phidippus clarus: Substrate-borne Courtship Signals are Important for Male Mating Success: Vibratory
Communication in a Jumping Spider. Ethology, 116, 990-998. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01815.x
 Fenk, L. M., & Schmid, A. (2011). Flicker-induced eye movements and the behavioural temporal cut-off frequency in a
nocturnal spider. The journal of Experimental Biology, 214, 3658-3663.
 Herdman, E. J., Kelly, C. D., & Godin, J. J. (2004). Male Mate Choice in the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata): Do Males Prefer
Larger Females as Mates?. Ethology, 110(2), 97-111. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2003.00960.x
 Hoefler, C. D. (2007). Male mate choice and size-assortative pairing in a jumping spider, Phidippus clarus. Animal
Behaviour, 73, 943-954. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.10.017
 Ilmonen, P., Stundner, G., ThoSZ, M., & Penn, D. J. (2009). Females prefer the scent of outbred males: good-genes-as-
heterozygosity?. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 9, 1-10. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-104
 Keddar, I., Jouventin, P., & Dobson, F. S. (2015). Color Ornaments And Territory Position In King Penguins. Behavioural
Processes, 119, 32-37.
 Long, S. M., Leonard, A., Carey, A., & Jakob, E. M. (2015). Short Communication. The Journal of Arachnology, 43, 111-
114.
 Reinhold, K. (2004). Modeling a version of the good-genes hypothesis: female choice of locally adapted males.
Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 4, 157-163. doi:10.1016/j.ode.2003.10.002
 Zahradnik, T. D., Lemay, M. A., & Boulding, E. G. (2008). Choosy males in a littorinid gastropod: male Littorina
subrotundata prefer large and virgin females. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 74(3), 245. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyn014

26. Questions?