Sunday, July 4, 2010

Evening Event (1)


When I'd seen this couple several minutes before, the male was dancing in front of the female, the one with a larger and plump abdomen. When I came back, the male took her under control and was ready to insert the sperm capsule which looks like a red droplet beneath the red fangs. The courtship of carnivorous arthropods is really a life-or-death event. Males have to pay extra caution not to get eaten by the prospective mate.
It was beginning to get dark. I don't know if the male could successfully flee after mating.

No comments:

Post a Comment