Display and mating behaviour of euophrys parvula, a new zealand jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae)

Abstract

This is the first comprehensive study of the intraspecific interactions of Euophrys parvula, a common jumping spider in New Zealand. During male-female interactions (courtship) multichannel communication is segregated into phases: a male first uses visual displays while still distant from the female, then when he gets close to and mounts the female, uses specialised tapping, scraping, and stroking behaviour, which are probably tactile or chemo- tactic signals. Males practise courtship versatility (i.e., a conditional mating strategy dependent on the female’s location and maturity: vision-dependent displays if the female is mature and outside her nest, vibratory courtship if the female is mature and inside her nest, and cohabitation if the female is subadult and inside her nest). E. parvula also displays during male-male and female-female interactions. E. parvula's repertoire of displays includes two apparently unique behaviours (swishing and staving) and many behaviours common to other salticid species (e.g., posturing with erect and hunched legs, propulsive displays, tapping, scraping, stroking, and abdomen twitching). © The Royal Society of New Zealand 1995.