Mating behavior of the golden-orb-weaving spider, Nephila clavipes: I. Female receptivity and male courtship.

Observed 112 marked, free-moving female golden-orb-weaving spiders and the 161 males inhabiting their webs to determine factors that influence the likelihood of female sexual receptivity. Females were observed mating during a 2-day period after the final molt and later in adulthood when they fed. Results show that copulation differed at these times, with the most clearly defined and prolonged matings occurring during the 2-day period after the final molt. Juvenile females copulated only a few times for a few seconds. Various explanations for multiple matings are discussed, and it is suggested that females are situationally receptive throughout their adulthood because they cannot be assured that males will be present during the final molt period. Juvenile and adult females preyed on males but did so infrequently. Several of the instances of predation occurred within a few days after the final molt, suggesting that predation is caused by male persistence in attempting to copulate. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)