The role of male body size in mating success and male-male competition in a false widow spider

In many animals, body size is correlated with reproductive success. Selection sometimes generates striking differences in body size between males and females (i.e., sexual size dimorphism, SSD). SSD is common in spiders (Araneae), and is typically explained by selection for larger, more fecund females, and rapidly maturing, and consequently smaller males. Within a species males and females also often vary in body size.  In the false widow spider (Steatoda grossa), females are larger than males and males trade off body size for rapid development and early maturation. Moreover, males exhibit considerable variation in body size, suggesting that under certain conditions there may be advantages to large size. Here, we tested the role of male body size on mating success under non-competitive and competitive mating conditions (i.e., male-male competition) in S. grossa. We found that body size did not influence mating success or copulation duration under non-competitive conditions, but that lar..., ,