Saturday 25 June 2011

Hey, baby!

 Under the holly, on the leaf litter, wolf spiders (possibly Pardosa amentata) bask in the sun. Most females carry bulging egg sacs under their abdomens, while trying to find the best position to get warm. Several males move about, approaching a female with tentative steps, then tiptoeing, vibrating their front legs and black palps, and moving his palps alternating one up, the other down, as soon as he is very close (photo above).
The male from the top photo, gets a bit closer. This female is carrying an egg sac and snaps at him. 
He quickly retreats and starts stalking the next female... 
This one does not have an egg sac. Will he be lucky this time?
No, rejected again. A short moment of rest with the male and two females basking nearby
A female with a very large egg sac. The spiderlings must be close to emerge.
UPDATE 6/12/11: a little video taken on the day of one of the courting males:

1 comment:

Antje said...

Poor little guy. And he's so handsome! :-)