1971] 
Rovner — Wolf Spiders 
153 
U. S. A. Each was housed separately in a glass jar prior to pairing 
in the observation arena. Mealworms ( Tenebrio sp.) served as 
food ; and cotton-stoppered, water-filled vials provided moisture. 
Observations on copulatory behavior were made at temperatures 
of 24-26°C. A manually activated Esterline Angus event recorder, 
at a chart speed of 15.3 cm/min, was used to record some of the 
data. Protocol was whispered into the microphone of a tape recorder. 
Recording instruments were placed on a separate table to reduce 
possible effects of machine noise. 
This study involved fifty pairings of virgin, adult spiders. (Al- 
though housed individually until that time that the mating partners 
were placed into the arena, the spiders will be referred to in terms 
of this eventual pairing.) Ten pairs of spiders were not modified 
experimentally; and their behavior represented that of normal in- 
dividuals. The remaining forty pairs were divided into the following 
eight groups, each consisting of five pairs: (1) Males losing both 
palps prior to the final molt; (2) Males losing both palps after the 
final molt; (3) Males with both palps fixed dorsally; (4) Males 
losing one palp prior to the final molt; (5) Males losing one palp 
after the final molt; (6) Males with one palp fixed dorsally; (7) 
Females with both copulatory pores sealed; (8) Females with one 
copulatory pore sealed. 
Palp removal was accomplished by autotomy. During carbon 
dioxide-induced anesthesia, the male’s palp was attached to the sub- 
stratum. After the male’s recovery I prodded him with an artist 
brush and forced him to pull away from the point of attachment, 
which resulted in palpal autotomy at the trochantero-femoral joint. 
This was repeated for males undergoing loss of both palps. When 
autotomy involved penultimate males, a “stump” or a complete but 
vestigial palp was present after the final molt. In the latter case 
the tarsus lacked a genital bulb. 
Fixation of a palp above the cephalothorax involved positioning the 
palp into a drop of melted paraffin placed on the adjacent region of 
the carapace of the anesthetized spider. Paraffin was also used to 
cover the copulatory pores of anesthetized females. 
All operations were performed under a dissecting microscope. In 
each experimental group of five pairs which involved unilateral 
modification, three individuals were treated on one side (e.g., right 
palp) and two on the other side (e.g., left palp). 
Results 
A variable period of time after mounting the female, many of the 
males of the experimental pairs performed behaviors which were not 
