title: Signal complexity and modular organization of the courtship behaviours of two sibling species of wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae).
abstract: In this study, we compare the courtship behaviours of Pardosa proxima and P. vlijmi, two species of wolf spiders up to now regarded as "ethospecies", by means of motion analysis methodologies. In particular, we investigate the features of the signals, aiming at understanding the evolution of the courtship and its role in species delimitation and speciation processes. In our model, we highlight a modular structure of the behaviours and the presence of recurring units and phases. According to other similar cases concerning animal communication, we observed one highly variable and one stereotyped phase for both species. The stereotyped phase is here regarded as a signal related to species identity or an honest signal linked directly to the quality of the signaler. On the contrary, the variable phase aims to facilitate signal detection and assessment by the female reducing choice costs or errors. Variable phases include cues arisen from Fisherian runaway selection, female sensory exploitation and remaining of past selections.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina, 13, I-10123 Torino, Italy. alb.chiarle@gmail.com
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiarle
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isaia
mesh_terms: D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003380:Courtship; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013112:Spiders / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Display; Ethospecies; Motion analysis; Pardosa proxima; Pardosa vlijmi