Thursday 12 June 2014

Male dwarf spiders make sure offspring is their own

Date:
June 10, 2014

Source:
Springer Science+Business Media

Summary:
Chastity belts were not first thought out in mediaeval times -- members of many animal groups have evolved similar mechanical safeguards to ensure their paternity. Male dwarf spiders, for instance, use mating plugs to block off the genital tract of the female they have just mated with. The larger and older the plug, the better the chances are that other males will not make deposits in a female's sperm storage organ.


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