The role of high-contrast male facial stripes in mitigating female aggression in the jumping spider, Plexippus paykulli

Vibrant male coloration and energetic courtship displays set jumping spiders apart from most arachnids, which typically rely on non-visual stimuli. Like many other spiders, female salticids engage in sexual cannibalism, making courtship a risky but necessary endeavor for males. In this study, we investigated the relationship between male coloration and female aggression to better understand the interplay of attraction and aversion during courtship.
Many male jumping spiders sport conspicuous coloration or high-contrast patterns that are reminiscent of the coloration of many aposematic insects. The faces of Plexippus paykulli males are adorned with bold vertical stripes they direct toward females during courtship. We hypothesized that these stripes could function as a sensory trap, leveraging female aversion to the signal to reduce the likelihood of cannibalism.
We tested whether spiders exhibit an aversion to stripes in the context of predation by manipulating prey coloration and testin...