Reproduction
Portia exhibits a different mating behavior and strategy compared to other jumping spiders. In most jumping spiders, males mount females to mate. In Portia the female drops a dragline after the male mounts her, mating in mid-air. Before this happens the male shows off his legs and extends them stiffly and shakes them to attract the female. The female then drums on the web. Mating with Portia spiders can occur off or on the web. The spider also practices cannibalism before and after copulation. The female usually twists and lunges at the mounted male (P. fimbriata however, is an exception; it does not usually exhibit such behavior.). If the male is killed before completing copulation, the male sperm is removed and the male is then eaten. If the male finishes mating before being killed, the sperm is kept for fertilization and the male is eaten. A majority of males are killed during sexual encounters.
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