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Przibram's Rule and male body‐size dimorphism in Zygoballus rufipes (Araneae: Salticidae)
Author(s) -
Faber Dean B.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1994.tb01568.x
Subject(s) - biology , instar , sexual dimorphism , jumping spider , zoology , body weight , sex ratio , insect , spider , ecology , larva , demography , endocrinology , population , sociology
Przibram's Rule of growth in hemimetabolous insects is derived from average values for the ratios of mean weights (2–09) and mean lengths (1–29) of successive instars in mantids. Adult males of the jumping spider Zygoballus rufipes Peckham & Peckham (Araneae, Salticidae) were shown to be dimorphic, while adult females were monomorphic. The male body weight distribution was bimodal, with two distinct body‐size classes (morphs). A method was developed for testing the null hypothesis that an observed ratio of two means is equivalent to a previously derived null ratio. The observed ratio of mean weights for the two male morphs of Z. rufipes (2–12) was not significantly different from the value for Przibram's Rule for weight (2–09), suggesting that males matured at two different instars. The body‐size dimorphism found in males was consistent with the existence of two size‐based alternative life‐history strategies.