Male Adaptive Behaviors
In some cases, sexual cannibalism may characterize an extreme form of male monogamy, in which the male will sacrifice itself to the female. Males may gain reproductive success from being cannibalized by either providing nutrients to the female (indirectly to the offspring), or through enhancing the probability that their sperm will be used to fertilize the female's eggs. Although sexual cannibalism is fairly common in spiders, male self-sacrifice has only been reported in six genera of araneoid spiders.
Members of cannibalistic species have adapted different mating tactics as a mechanism for escaping the cannibalistic tendencies of their female counterparts. Current theory suggests antagonistic co-evolution has occurred, where adaptations seen in one sex will produce adaptations in the other . Adaptations consist of: courtship displays, opportunistic mating tactics, and mate binding.
Read more about this topic: Sexual Cannibalism
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