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For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#201287
Theridion sex- - Theridion - male - female

Theridion sex- - Theridion - Male Female
Brossard, Quebec, Canada
June 22, 2008
Size: 3-4mm
After molting the female first wandered back and forth between the male and the shed skin, and then settled. The male approached her at least four times over the course of roughly an hour and a half, they are very small spiders and it was not possible to tell by eye if he actually succeeded in inseminating her in any of these attempts. Each photo is from a different coupling. Since he approached the female from a different angle at each coupling this made it possible to get images of the mating posture from three different points of view. This is the first coupling. At each approach the male "presented: himself; he “strummed” on web strands near the female and also displayed his palps by opening and closing them sideways.

Images of this individual: tag all
Theridion sex- Mate guarding - Theridion - male - female Theridion sex- molting - Theridion - male - female Theridion sex- - Theridion - male - female Theridion sex- - Theridion - male - female Theridion sex- - Theridion - male - female