Male Spider Mite Mating Ritual: Undressing Female by Stripping Off Her Old Skin Before Copulating

Throughout the animal kingdom, different species exhibit behavioral patterns as they engage in the act of mating. While some are more complex than others, such rituals follow social or biological rules which determine the way an animal attracts, approaches, and mates with their partner.

Some of the common mating rituals include showing off of attractive colors, releasing mating scents, and even fighting against the other member of the species to secure the potential partner. However, a particular species of spider demonstrates a bizarre ritual where the female is undressed when the male is ready to copulate.

Getting Ready to Breed

This behavior was discovered by Austrian scientists while they were studying spider mites. Female spider mites reach sexual maturity upon reaching their 10^th day of age. The male guards his potential partner for hours and waits until the female starts shedding her exoskeleton.

According to zoologist Peter Schausberger from the Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna, the male spider mite has the ability to recognize when the premature female begins shedding. He can observe this when the female's exuvia or outer skin becomes silvery in color due to the lodging of air between the old and the new skin.

To prepare the female for mating, the male removes her exuvia to allow him to insert his reproductive organ known as aedeagus. To effectively strip the female's exoskeleton, the male slips beneath her and uses its needle-like mouthparts called pedipalps to pull off the skin. There are also instances when the male would use his forelegs to strike against the female in order to trigger the shedding process.

The research team also discovered that there are times when the female spider mite undresses herself when the shedding process begins. The difference, however, is that the female tend to pull of her skin starting the head, while the male prefers to remove the hind part of the exoskeleton first.

According to Schausberger, the process of copulation will only take a couple of seconds. As the guarding behavior requires a lot of energy and time, the male needs to make sure that his potential partner will not be taken over by another male. This dedication of securing a mate is very important for the males because their first mating partner will be the one to sire all their offspring. Interestingly, this is the first time that scientists discovered a skin-stripping behavior in all of animal species.

What Are Spider Mites?

Spider mites are relatives of spiders, ticks, and scorpions which are as small as a speck of dust, making them barely visible to the naked eye. Also known as red spiders, these animals have the same body structure as the other arachnids having two body segments and eight legs. They also have a set of piercing-sucking mouthparts which enable them to pierce plans and suck out their sap.

Spider mites are known for being pests that damage gardens and landscaping, eating vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamental plants. They mostly injure their plant host, resulting in the death of crops that could lead to economic losses. However, they can pose few risks to humans and animal pets.