DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2v6wwpzt5
title: Females pay little attention to variation in male display traits in a jumping spider with dimorphic males

description: Dimorphic male alternative reproductive strategies typically involve
 divergent suites of morphological and behavioral traits to maximize
 reproductive success. Most instances of these strategies typically follow
 similar patterns of a larger, territorial or aggressive male morph and a
 smaller, satellite male morph. The genetically determined male morphs of
 the jumping spider, Maevia inclemens, have evolved dramatically different
 secondary sexual traits and courtship behavior, but do not seem to fit the
 classic mold of male alternative reproductive strategies. In the past
 several decades, advances have been made to better understand the
 different reproductive strategies between the morphs and how females (or
 predators) perceive them differently. However, the specific information
 content and function of their dimorphic morphological traits, and whether
 female aggression is an important factor in their evolution, is still not
 clearly understood. We tested two hypotheses for alternative mating
 strategies in M. inclemens. Tufted males have three tufts of setae above
 their eyes that may signal their mate quality. Striped males have
 contrasting black-and-white striped legs that may function as an
 aggression deterrent. We manipulated tuft length and the presence/absence
 of leg stripes and paired a single male with an unmated female in
 no-choice mating behavior experiments to quantify mating success, female
 receptivity, female aggression, and reproductive output. We found little
 support for our focal hypotheses. However, our models suggested that male
 body condition is more likely to influence mating interactions than
 variation in the target traits we manipulated. Our robust negative results
 allow us to critically revise our hypotheses to better understand the
 unique and perplexing male dimorphism of M. inclemens that deviates from
 current theory.
description: Data was collected by manually analyzing behavioral videos and
 recording different mating behaviors. This file is the raw data that
 includes count, time, and descriptive data.
description: Files are .csv and can be opened with Excel, R, and Rstudio.
description: # Females pay little attention to variation in male display traits in a
 jumping spider with dimorphic males --- Data for behavioral experiment
 with jumping spider where males were manipulated in one of two ways,
 paired with a female, and female behavior in the context of male traits
 was measured ## Description of the Data and file structure All data is
 within a single file. Column names and descriptions are listed below *
 TestID=individual unique ID for each trial * MatureMolt=format MM/DD,
 calendar date that the female in the the trial molted to maturity, should
 be 7 days before test date * TestDate=format MM/DD, calendar date that
 trial was conducted and recorded * Year=year that the trial was conducted,
 trials took place summer of 2020 and 2021 * MaleMorph=striped or tufted
 male morph of Maevia inclemens used in trial * MatingSuccess=binary y/n
 for whether the pair of spiders in the test successfully copulated,
 determined by the male successfully mounting the female and turning female
 abdomen to the side and inserted pedipalp * LaidEggs=binary y/n for
 whether the female laid at least one egg sac after successfully copulating
 during trial * SuccessfulSpiderlings=number of individual spiderlings that
 successfully emerged alive from all egg sacs produced by the female in the
 test * FailedSpiderlings=number of individual spiderlings that failed to
 emerge alive from all egg sacs produced by the female in the test
 (includes eggs that did not develop and spiderlings that died before
 leaving the egg sac) * ProportionMortality=the proportion of failed
 spiderlings out of the total number of eggs produced from all egg sacs
 from the female in the test * FemaleID=individual unique identifier for
 females * MaleID=individual unique identifier for males *
 FemaleSize=carapace width as a proxy for body size in millimeters, length
 between the anterior lateral eyes from dorsal view of spider *
 FemaleAbdomenArea=area of entire abdomen from dorsal view in square
 millimeters (mm^2) * MaleSize=carapace width as a proxy for body size in
 millimeters, length between the anterior lateral eyes from dorsal view of
 spider * MaleAbdomenArea=area of entire abdomen from dorsal view in square
 millimeters (mm^2) * MaleTrt=male visual experimental manipulations (LT =
 long tufted males, ST = short tufted males, CC = coloration concealed
 striped males, CV = coloration visible striped males) * SSD=female
 carapace width minues male carapace width in millimeters *
 MountFrequency=total number of times the male successfully mounted the
 female (climb on top of female and lifted female abdomen to insert
 pedipalp) * MatingLatency=time in minutes until the first successful
 copulation occurred (as denoted by behavioral description for
 "MatingSuccess") * Stalk=number of times the female oriented to
 the male, crouched, and slowly walked toward male while he faced away *
 SettleLatency=time in minutes for female to stop moving in front of a
 courting male and allow male to approach closely and mount *
 LegTapLatency=time in minutes for female to quickly tap front pair of legs
 on the substrate while oriented to the male * ReceptivityLatency=time in
 minutes for either leg tap or settle (described above) to occur, whichever
 came first * Receptivity=binary y/n for whether female showed settle OR
 leg tap behavior at any time during the trial * Aggression=number of times
 the female lunged toward the male, as noted by the female quickly toward
 the male jumping while facing the male and attempting to make contact
 (lunge was counted whether or not the female actually touched the male) *
 OrientationLatency=time in minutes until female oriented to the male,
 described by the female quickly swiveling entire body to direct anterior
 median eyes toward the male * CopulationDurationTotal=total time in
 seconds that male and female spent copulating (includes all mating bouts
 from entire trial) * LatencyCourt=time in minutes until the male first
 started courtship display to female