Of Leg Brandishing and Courtship

This might be an ambassador from the spider federation, gesticulating in an effort to get our attention. Or maybe he'st brandishing those legs to scare us off. But most likely, this male Saitis barbipes, endemic to the Mediterranean and the most colorful of the European jumping spiders, is trying to court a female.

Photo source: Wikipedia
























The third set of legs on the males of these diminutive (less than a centimeter) spiders is used to wave and audibly vibrate when trying to court a female. If the female is sufficiently wooed, she'll collapse on her legs and turn her abdomen up. Barry White is played, the hearth is lit, and another batch of spiderlings is conceived.

Thanks for the new Salticid, Angela. Your spider federation still might come to pass.