Australian Journal of Zoology . Both spiders are facing in the same direction and are 'belly to belly'.
Copulation begins when one of the palps is inserted into the female's genital opening .
In most other black widow spiders, the pair copulates while in this posture. In redbacks, however, a few seconds after palp insertion, the male, using the palp as a pivot, moves into a 'headstand' posture. In most matings, the female begins to extrude digestive enzymes almost immediately. She also pierces the male's abdomen with her fangs and begins to consume him while he is transferring sperm.