Alopecosa cuneata, (CLERCK, 1757)

Just, Pavel, Opatova, Vera & Dolejš, Petr, 2018, Does reproductive behaviour reflect phylogenetic relationships? An example from Central European Alopecosa wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 185, pp. 1039-1056 : 1044

ALOPECOSA CUNEATA (CLERCK, 1757)

Czech Republic, Komárkova lesostep, 8

March 2014, lgt. P.J., forest steppe, number of copulations = 3

The males began to court immediately (0.18 min latency in one case), with intensifying P_CR and B_JS. The males approached females with their body close to the substrate (B_C), with the front legs attracted to the body (L_A). After the male reached the female, he poked her with his swollen tibiae on leg I. Subsequently, the female bit both of the male’s tibiae alternately, once or twice. The bite lasted several seconds (0.20, 0.86 and 0.55 min). This represented a crucial moment in the courtship, because the female either allowed the male to copulate or lost interest. The female signalled to the male with an accepting posture by lifting her carapace and front legs off the ground. The male then attempted to climb onto the female’s back, with both spiders oriented ventrally with their carapaces and abdomens touching for a brief moment. When the male climbed onto the female’s back, the female became cataleptic (C_E). Courtship duration was 1.21, 16.00 and 4.26 min, with extremely long copulations compared with other species (2 h 6.86 min, 2 h 16.16 min and 1 h 33.75 min) and with more palpal insertions (12, 10 and 11). Each insertion was accompanied by a high number of haematodochal expansions (µ = 13, 11 and 13), and the overall number of expansions was 161, 110 and 142, respectively.

ALOPECOSA FARINOSA (HERMAN, 1879) , CZECH POPULATION

Czech Republic, Komárkova lesostep, stony forest steppe, 20 April 2013, lgt. PJ, Růžový vrch, vineyard terrace, 14 March 2014, coll. P.J., P.D., number of copulations = 9

The males began to court immediately (0.83 min latency in one case), with intensifying P_CI. Throughout courtship, B_JS occurred and resulted in B_D and L_ R. The femur, patella and tibia of legs I pointed upwards, while the distal segments pointed slightly downwards. Female catalepsy was C_ E. Courtship duration was 1.23 min (SE = 0.33 min). The number of insertions was one to 16 (µ = 8; SE = 1.5), each usually (in seven out of nine males) with a single extremely long haematodochal expansion (maximum 0.86 min). The number of expansions was one to 28 (µ = 11.4; SE = 2.78), and the duration of copulation was 0.28–15.15 min (µ = 5.45 min; SE = 1.61 min). Between insertions, males performed O_Q and quivered their palps .