Mating behaviour
A male Orb Weaver (Eriophora) plucks at his mating line and entices a female onto it. Photo: M Gray © Australian Museum.
Mating is a vital part of most animals' life histories. Courting, or the finding of an appropriate mate, is not just confined to humans. In many invertebrate groups mature adults need to ensure that they not only have found a partner of the opposite sex, but that they have found a partner of the same species. Mating organs in closely related species often have very distinctive structural differences, which, along with behavioural and chemical recognition cues, have evolved to prevent unproductive attempts at cross-breeding between species. In many cases the structure of the mating organs in mature spiders is the most important means we have of separating closely related species. Until they mature, it is almost impossible to reliably identify spiders to a particular species.
