The display behaviour and silk utilisation of epeus sp. Indet., a jumping spider (araneae: Salticidae) from Singapore

Abstract

Males of Epeus sp. indet, a salticid spider from Singapore, use different tactics for acquiring mates depending on the female’s maturity and location: primarily visual displays if the female is mature and away from her nest; primarily vibratory displays if she is mature and in her nest; and cohabitation if she is a subadult in her nest. Different displays occur during male-male interactions. Fluttering, a distinctive display in which the spider’s body and legs move rapidly up and down in opposite phase, was the predominant behaviour in most interactions, and this behaviour seems to serve in both visual and vibratory communication. © 1988 Crown.