The genetic and the operative evidence relating to secondary sexual charactersMorgan, Thomas Hunt
Science
The genetic and the operative evidence relating to secondary sexual characters
Morgan, Thomas Hunt
Genetics; Poultry; Sex (Biology)
In insects and spiders, where dimorphism is as marked as in birds, the
mating habits have been studied by a number of naturalists. Here also
there are numerous accounts of the display of the male during courtship.
The account given by Dr. and Mrs. Peckham are particularly detailed and
call for careful consideration on account of their well-recognized
accuracy in observational work. Moreover, as a result of their
observations, along with those of Montgomery, Petrunkewitsch, and
others, we have really fuller information concerning the courtship of
spiders than of birds and of mammals.
In the great majority of species where the sexes are different the male
is more brightly colored or more ornamental. For example, in a group
such as the Attidæ of France, where both sexes are known, the Peckhams
state that in 26 cases the male is more conspicuous than the female; in
55 cases the sexes are alike, or if they differ the male is more
conspicuous. It appears that in other genera there are cases where the
female is more conspicuous than the male. The Peckhams state that
possibly as many as 250 species are in this condition. Those females
with brighter colors than the males are usually well armed by strong
spines. When very young they are like the males and begin to assume the
adult form and color when they are a quarter to a third grown. Whether
the change depends on changes in the ovary is not known.
The mating behavior of _Saitis pulex_, a species in which the males and
females are much alike, is described by the Peckhams as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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