Truemors
Ultraviolet rays may not mean much to you and me during a night on the town, but, for jumping spiders, it could mean the difference between a night of eight-legged passion or stretch of arachnid loneliness. Indeed, female jumping spiders are partial to reflected UVB rays. Even more interesting is that they can sense those rays in the first place.
A team found that male jumping spiders (Phintella vittata) are using ultraviolet B (UVB) rays to communicate with females.
While UVA rays are often used in animal communication, this is the first evidence that UVB light is also being used, the researchers said.
The team found that male spiders were reflecting the ultraviolet B rays from their bodies.
The researchers discovered that females were more likely to mate with males that could "talk" to them with UVB compared with spiders sitting in chambers where UVB light had been blocked with filters.
Comments (0)