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. 2007 Feb 22;274(1609):569-75.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.0020.

Effects of age and feeding history on structure-based UV ornaments of a jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae)

Matthew L M Lim  1 , Daiqin Li
Affiliations

Effects of age and feeding history on structure-based UV ornaments of a jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae)

Matthew L M Lim et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Recent studies have shown for birds that females sometimes choose mates on the basis of condition-dependent variation in ultraviolet (UV, less than 400 nm) ornamentation, but there have been few comparable studies on invertebrates. Yet many invertebrates have UV structural coloration. Here, we investigate Cosmophasis umbratica, a jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae) that has sexually dimorphic UV-iridescent ornamentation, and we provide evidence that male UV coloration is condition dependent in this species. Spectral-reflection patterns change with male age and prior feeding history. The position of the UV band (i.e. UV hue) of the carapaces of younger (field-collected as subadults and matured as adults in laboratory) males shifted, relative to older (field-collected as adults) males, significantly towards longer wavelengths. Food deprivation significantly decreased the spectral intensity of the abdomen, but not the carapace. Questions concerning the mechanisms by which UV ornaments change are highlighted, as are hypotheses concerning the role of condition-dependent UV variation in male-male competition and as a criterion used by females when making mate-choice decisions.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Spectral variables of typical spectral reflectance curve of adult male C. umbratica. RUV, UV intensity (%); RVIS, VIS intensity (%); λ(RUV), UV hue, the spectral position of UV peak (nm); λ(RVIS), VIS hue, the spectral position of VIS peak (nm); Rtotal, total intensity of reflectance spectra (300–700 nm); λVIS–UV, band separation (nm), wavelength difference between the peaks of UV and VIS bands.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Reflectance spectra for (a) dorsal abdomen and (b) dorsal carapace of young (solid line) and old (dashed line) C. umbratica. Error bars represent standard errors, mean±s.e.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Reflectance spectra of (a) dorsal abdomen and (b) dorsal carapace of starved (dashed line) and satiated (solid line) C. umbratica. Error bars represent standard errors, mean±s.e.
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