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Incidence and permanence of mating plugs in females of the spider Philoponella tingens (Uloboridae)

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Abstract

In several animals, males produce substances that block the copulatory openings and ducts of females. We investigated variation in presence of “mating plugs” (MPs) in the spider Philoponella tingens. We studied the frequency of MPs in the wild and MP deposition and permanence in isolated females. In the field, over half of females had MPs, but all females collected without MPs were also mated. We identified two causes of MP absence in mated females: aggressive female prevention of plugging and MP loss. We suggest that future research should focus on understanding why MPs are lost in some females, the role of females in MP loss, and the fitness effects of plugging prevention and MP loss for both sexes.

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Acknowledgments

This work is part of the thesis presented by FG to obtain the Maestría en Ciencias en Recursos Naturales y Desarrollo Rural (Ecología y Sistemática) at the Colegio de la Frontera Sur (México). We thank the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for the “Short Term Visitor” fellowship to CC, and the staff of the BCI field station for excellent support. CC thanks Bill Eberhard for his support and guidance. Bill Eberhard, Dr. Ariane Dor, and two anonymous reviewers provided very useful comments and suggestions on previous versions of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maestría en Ciencias en Recursos Naturales y Desarrollo Rural, Unidad San Cristóbal, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

    Fabiola Gutiérrez

  2. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Apdo. Post. 70275, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

    Carlos Cordero

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  1. Fabiola Gutiérrez
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  2. Carlos Cordero
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Correspondence to Carlos Cordero.

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Gutiérrez, F., Cordero, C. Incidence and permanence of mating plugs in females of the spider Philoponella tingens (Uloboridae). J Ethol 33, 59–63 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-014-0417-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-014-0417-1

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