LIFE CYCLE OF MALE TARANTULA 



115 



The mating process of Duges/ella hent%i 

 h^s been very fully described by Dr. 

 Alexander Petrunkevitch of Yale. Dr. 

 Vital Brazil gives a brief description of 

 the mating of Gramnostola longimana and 

 G. acteon. Among the higher spiders, the 

 mating of the house spider has been 

 carefully observed and described by Dr. 

 a. E. Ewing of the U. S. National Mu- 

 seum. Wilhelm Bolsche gives a vivid 

 haccount of the mating habits of Araneus 

 Wadetnatus (JEpeira diademata), a European 

 species. 



It is relatively easy to observe the 

 mating of tarantulas. If a male is 

 brought in during the mating season and 

 put with a female, mating is likely to 

 take place provided the male has provided 

 the bulbs with spermatic fluid. If not, 

 he may be kept a few days until this has 

 been done. The females will mate several 

 times, as Dr. Petrunkevitch has observed in 

 D. henftj. One female mated thirteen 

 times with four different males. 



Mating in Eurypelma califomica has 

 been observed ten or twelve times. The 

 male to whom this account is largely 

 devoted mated twice with the same 

 female. My notes of his first mating will 

 perhaps serve to describe what usually 

 takes place: 



When the male was placed in the jar with the 

 female she at once put on a belligerent attitude, rising 

 on her hind legs and spreading her fangs. The male 

 advanced very boldly and rising up likewise, he soon 

 had her fangs caught on the spurs of his front legs. 

 He did not raise her up much, but bent her upper half 

 decidedly backwards so that her body was bent almost 

 at a right angle. After a good deal of fumbling and 

 tapping on rhe sternum of the female, the male 

 introduced first the bulb of the left and later that of 

 the right palpus. After withdrawing the latter, he 

 waited for about one-half minute, and then very 

 deliberately he withdrew from the female. Mating 

 occupied about one minute's time. The female made 

 no attempt to attack the male after the mating act. 



When this male mated the second time, 

 twenty-four hours after the making of the 

 sperm web, he introduced both palpi 

 twice. This has been observed in several 

 instances. 



When putting a male and a female to- 

 gether in an attempt to observe mating, 

 it is well to make one of them move until 

 it touches the other. This not only 

 apprises them of each other's presence, 

 but also reveals at once the inclination 

 or disinclination for mating. If mating 

 is to take place, they will proceed at once; 

 if not, no amount of coaxing will induce 

 them to do so. Frequently when the 

 male has just touched the female with 

 one of his front legs, and she does not 

 show any visible response, he will slap 

 her vigorously several times, which brings 

 prompt action. She at once rises, spreads 

 her fangs, and the male proceeds. When 

 the male has just secured the fangs of the 

 female in his spurs, she usually stands 

 quite erect. At the introduction of the 

 bulb of the first palpus she relaxes so 

 that the abdomen may touch the ground. 



In the majority of the matings that have 

 been observed the female made no serious 

 effort to attack the male at the close of 

 the act. However, the male is almost 

 always very careful in his departure. He 

 moves away as far as possible before he 

 releases her fangs and then he retreats 

 very hastily. 



The males of Dugesiella hent%ii that Dr. 

 Petrunkevitch observed all died toward 

 the end of the month of November. The 

 same has been observed in most of the 

 males of Eurypelma califomica. One of 

 the males taken in the fall of 19x3 lived 

 till the z6th of the following July. This 

 year (13x7) one of the males brought in 

 from the field lived till December ir/. 

 The male RTi is still living, and judging 

 by his present condition, he will live 

 through the winter. It may perhaps be 



