""Tiny tusks and horns: secondary sexual characters in jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae)" by Simon D Pollard (Canterbury Museum, New Zealand) and Robert R Jackson (Department of Zoology, University of Canterbury, New Zealand)

Abstract - Sexual selection appears to have led to the evolution of secondary sexual characters in some male jumping spiders. These structures are usually exaggerated forms of the chelicerae (mouthparts) or parts of the face of conspecific females.

For example, male Myrmarachne plataleoides have tusk-like chelicerae that may be 50-70 % as long as their body and male Thorelliola ensifera have two curved horns that project from below the eyes. Study of these bizarre structures, which are so incongruous from a survival perspective, is important for understanding how sexual selection influences the evolution of male characteristics.

This talk will illustrate how, through experimentation and observation, we have begun to understand these characteristics in the family Salticidae.