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Year: 2018, Issue: June
Studies on sexual cannibalism with special reference to spiders.
Author:
Mohammad Salim, Mohammad Shahid Masroor and Shagufta Parween
Keyword:
Sexual cannibalism, Male death, Spiders, Mantises.
Sexual cannibalism is a phenomenon in which a male is eaten by the female prior, during or after the copulation. While this phenomenon is very common in spiders and mantises, it occurs in other invertebrates also. Further, this behaviour is believed to have evolved as a manifestation of sexual conflict occurring when the reproductive interests of males and females differ. Though, several theories have been put forward to explain the phenomenon of sexual cannibalism the present review is an attempt to explain it in the light of recent researches available so far.
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