DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bb8kv5f
title: Data from: The role of male coloration and ornamentation in potential alternative mating strategies of the dimorphic jumping spider, Maevia inclemens

description: Polymorphism can arise across taxa due to various selection pressures and
 potentially lead to alternative mating or antipredator strategies. For
 male jumping spiders, sexual selection and predation risk are often
 intertwined when courting cannibalistic females and may be a driving
 factor in the polymorphism of the jumping spider, Maevia inclemens. The
 dimorphic males of M. inclemens differ dramatically in their complex
 courtship behavior and display traits that may function as alternative
 mating strategies to reduce female aggression and maximize mating success.
 We hypothesized that males of the “tufted” morph honestly communicate
 condition or body size to females with three conspicuous tufts of setae on
 their head and males of the “striped” morph reduce female aggression with
 coloration commonly found in aposematic animals (here, yellow-orange
 pedipalps and striped legs). We examined correlations between tuft length
 and symmetry and metrics of body size and condition in field-collected
 spiders and conducted prey color choice tests (with live color-manipulated
 prey) to determine if yellow-orange and striped prey are avoided. Tuft
 length was variable and correlated with male size (but not condition). All
 prey color types were attacked at equal rates, but spiders oriented to
 striped prey more often, suggesting that male stripes may attract female
 attention without increasing predation. This study provides insight into
 the potential functions of the different courtship and visual displays of
 M. inclemens males. Using jumping spiders to study polymorphism can
 provide new insight into how multiple morphs can evolve, as males use
 mating strategies not only to impress females but also avoid getting eaten
 by their potential mates.
description: 2019_Maevia_color_choiceThe attached .csv file provides data for "The role of male coloration and ornamentation in potential alternative mating strategies of the dimorphic jumping spider, Maevia inclemens". The data set includes sex/morph and data on attack rates of different colored termites, including color attacked, orientation time, color first orient to, and latency to attack, and number of orients to each color. Data units are provided in the .csv file and in the README .txt file.2019_raw2017fielddata_tuftmeasurementsThe attached .csv file provides data for "The role of male coloration and ornamentation in potential alternative mating strategies of the dimorphic jumping spider, Maevia inclemens". The data set includes date of collection, sex/stage, male morph, carapace width (mm), abdomen area (mm^2), body condition, and measurements on tufted male tufts. Units for measurements is found in column headings in the .csv file and in the README .txt file.2019_rawspectralmeasurementsThe attached .csv file provides raw spectral data for "The role of male coloration and ornamentation in potential alternative mating strategies of the dimorphic jumping spider, Maevia inclemens". The data set includes spectral reflectance measurements from yellow paper capes, grey paper capes, and male striped morph pedipalps used in the color prey choice experiment.