Comments on: More Spider Mating Rituals: Butt Drumming http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/ I'm a biologist not a... Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:53:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Gay Flies and White Genes :: Dammit Jim! http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-29764 Gay Flies and White Genes :: Dammit Jim! Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:13:07 +0000 http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-29764 [...] pretty pictures) paper about another mutation that turns male flies gay. Given the series of insect mating posts on here, I had to take a look. First a bit about the genetics. Fruit flies have a white gene [...] [...] pretty pictures) paper about another mutation that turns male flies gay. Given the series of insect mating posts on here, I had to take a look. First a bit about the genetics. Fruit flies have a white gene [...]

]]> By: ScottS-M http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-13261 ScottS-M Fri, 19 Oct 2007 03:47:40 +0000 http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-13261 @TheBrummell Thanks for the information. I added a small update to the post. @TheBrummell
Thanks for the information. I added a small update to the post.

]]> By: TheBrummell http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-13184 TheBrummell Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:18:37 +0000 http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-13184 This video was made either by Dr. Wayne Maddison, now of the University of British Columbia (UBC) or one of his associates. He presented it in a talk I attended several years ago. It's a fascinating video, and he's got lots more - some are up on the Tree of Life website (track down through the tree until you get to the jumping spider family). The funniest part about it is the fact that this particular female is not "unconscious and restrained" - she's dead and pinned! Also, she's not his species. Insert witticism relating to male preferences here. A slightly longer version of the video shows him bashing his head against the insect pin that's through her thorax. This video was made either by Dr. Wayne Maddison, now of the University of British Columbia (UBC) or one of his associates. He presented it in a talk I attended several years ago.

It’s a fascinating video, and he’s got lots more - some are up on the Tree of Life website (track down through the tree until you get to the jumping spider family). The funniest part about it is the fact that this particular female is not “unconscious and restrained” - she’s dead and pinned! Also, she’s not his species. Insert witticism relating to male preferences here. A slightly longer version of the video shows him bashing his head against the insect pin that’s through her thorax.

]]> By: Mark Lawton http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-9667 Mark Lawton Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:19:31 +0000 http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-9667 False alarm. After waiting and watching with camera in hand I have now come to the conclusion that it's not the spiders that are making the noise that I'm hearing. I watched a couple of them and they were doing nothing at the same time I could hear the noise. Closer scrutiny revealed that the sound was coming from inside the pine logs that the spiders were on. It appears to be the sound of the woodborers that are nicely turning the logs into piles of wood shavings. They are making tunnels about 3/16 of an inch in diameter and are pulling out slivers that are about 1/4 inch in length. The way they are biting the slivers free inside the log is resonating out of the dry pine. I'm not going to go thru the trouble of cutting the logs open to track down what type of borer it is at this time. I'll just search to see if anyone else has checked out similar sounds. False alarm. After waiting and watching with camera in hand I have now come to the conclusion that it’s not the spiders that are making the noise that I’m hearing. I watched a couple of them and they were doing nothing at the same time I could hear the noise. Closer scrutiny revealed that the sound was coming from inside the pine logs that the spiders were on. It appears to be the sound of the woodborers that are nicely turning the logs into piles of wood shavings. They are making tunnels about 3/16 of an inch in diameter and are pulling out slivers that are about 1/4 inch in length. The way they are biting the slivers free inside the log is resonating out of the dry pine. I’m not going to go thru the trouble of cutting the logs open to track down what type of borer it is at this time. I’ll just search to see if anyone else has checked out similar sounds.

]]> By: ScottS-M http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-9359 ScottS-M Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:09:03 +0000 http://scott.sherrillmix.com/blog/biologist/more-spider-mating-rituals-butt-drumming/#comment-9359 @Mark Lawton That sounds pretty cool. I'm not sure how loud spider vibrating would be in the wild but it might be amplified if they were on a leaf or something. Let me know how the hunt goes. @Mark Lawton
That sounds pretty cool. I’m not sure how loud spider vibrating would be in the wild but it might be amplified if they were on a leaf or something. Let me know how the hunt goes.

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