174 SPIDERS 



When the male Atypus affinis finds the tube of a female, he 

 drums upon it with his palps and presumably is able to ascertain 

 by the reactions of the inmate whether he is welcome. After a 

 while he cuts open the tube and enters; the rent is afterwards 

 repaired by the female. Mating occurs deep in the tube and the 

 male is believed to live in the burrow for many months before his 

 mate eventually eats him. 



Amongst short-sighted hunting spiders the male's chemotactic 

 sense often warns him of the presence of a female in the vicinity. 

 He moves with caution and in some species vibrates his legs. 

 Drassodes spp. take possession of their females before these have 

 attained maturity or full strength. Some, such as Pachygnatha spp. 

 avoid injury by seizing the chelicerae of the females and holding 

 these with the aid of special adaptations, while others spar with 

 their mates and rely on their outstretched legs and their agility to 

 avoid injury from any initial attack resulting from the first contact. 

 The nocturnal Dysdera crocota has a placid tactile courtship which 

 apparently can be initiated by either sex. One spider approaches 

 the other, quivering and gesticulating with front legs held aloft. 

 During copulation the palps are inserted simultaneously and the 

 two spiders stroke and caress each other with their forelegs. 



Some of the sedentary spiders with inferior eyesight show few of 

 the preliminary activities identifiable as true courtship. Even 

 though the eyes of some of the Thomisidae are fairly large, the 

 spiders make little use of sight in courting. When a male discovers 

 a female of his species he immediately climbs upon her back or 

 seizes an appendage with his chelicerae. He is more agile and can 

 tickle and caress her body until he is able to accomplish his pur- 

 pose. The male Xysticus sp. protects himself in mating by fasten- 

 ing his mate to the ground with a few silken threads (Bristowe, 

 1922, etc.), while in Pisaura mirahilis (Pisauridae) he catches and 

 wraps an insect in silk before approaching the female and hands it 

 to her as a preliminary to mating. This behaviour is unique in 

 spiders but has a parallel amongst Empid flies. 



The visual displays of the Lycosidae and Salticidae have been 

 studied especially by Bristowe and Locket (Bristowe, 1929, 1941,* 

 etc.), and more recently Crane (1948, 1949, etc.) has made detailed 

 analyses of the behaviour of various tropical Salticidae such as 



