Males discriminate between substrate-borne cues of conspecific females based on age and mating status in the jumping spider, Habronattus brunneus

Sexual selection is often studied with a focus on female mate choice, wherein females evaluate male signals to select an optimal mate. However, in some systems, males should also make careful decisions about the females they choose to court, particularly when faced with the risk of precopulatory sexual cannibalism. Here, we explore the idea that male jumping spiders (Habronattus brunneus) may mitigate this risk by responding to female cues likely associated with female aggression and/or receptivity. We tested mature male spiders’ ability to discriminate between substrate-borne cues (i.e., silk and excreta) produced by conspecific females of different ages and mating statuses. We found that males spent more time exploring cues produced by mature females compared with immature females and more time exploring cues produced by non-mated females compared with mated females. Heightened interest in cues produced by females that are sexually mature but not yet mated may allow males to reduce ca..., , , # Males discriminate between conspecific female cues based on age and mating status in the jumping spider, *Habronattus brunneus*

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pc866t1xc](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pc866t1xc)

This dataset is divided into three datasheets: one for each experiment conducted. The first experiment involved testing male response to control stimuli vs. a female treatment to demonstrate males could discriminate between filter paper treated with female cues and an untreated paper control. In the second experiment, we tested the male ability to discriminate between female cues based on female age, and in the third experiment, we tested the male ability to discriminate between female cues based on female mating status (mated vs non-mated). We found that males showed heightened attention to the expected female cues in all three experiments.

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset is divided into three datasheets (one for each experiment conducted).

It s...