Mating behavior of Theridiosoma gemmosum (araneae: Theridiosomatidae): The unusual role of the male dragline silk

Abstract

The mating of Theridiosoma gemmosum consists of a series of successive copulations. In the interval between two consecutive copulations, the females unwind the silken threads released by the male spinning organs; these threads are known as draglines or lifelines. The silk thus obtained is rolled up by the females into bundles, which they ingest prior to the next copulation. In other words, the mating of T. gemmosum involves the transfer of nutrients from the male to the female via silk. The silk provided by the male during copulation and eaten by the female, can be considered a nuptial gift

Structural Elucidation of the Masp1 and Masp2 Protein from Nephila Pilipes Web Via Bioinformatics Approaches

“…Interestingly, the assembly of spider silk protein contains one of the most valuable biological polymers and remarkable biomimetic potentials including the sturdiness of web constructions, containing abundant amino acid and carboxyl groups, and specific purpose design that could contribute to many biotechnological applications as suggested by Kiew et al, [2]. In brief, the manufacturing of silk proteins was formed inside the major ampullate gland of a spider whereby the major ampullate spidroin (MaSp) one and two were used in constructing the web frames, lifeline, and used to capture prey as studied by Hajer and Řeháková [3]. The specific characteristics of spidroins have become the most common research to unravel the molecular structure of spidroin, which contains a great variety of mechanical, physicochemical, and biological properties as reviewed by Fai et al, [4].…”

Mating patterns ofGammarus lacustris(Amphipoda: Gammaridae) from three populations across a gradient on the Tibetan Plateau

“…Competition among males for females and selection of males by females may lead to a size-dependent, or to a size-assortative, mating pattern (Bollache & Cezilly 2004;Hajer et al 2011).…”