Theory predicts that males and females of dioecious species typically engage in an evolutionary sexual conflict over the frequency and choice of mating partner. Female sexual cannibalism, a particularly dramatic illustration of this conflict, is widespread in certain animal taxa including spiders. Nevertheless, females of some funnel weaving spiders that are generally aggressive to conspecifics enter a cataleptic state after male courtship, ensuring the males can mate without risk of attack. In this study, we demonstrated that the physical posture and duration, metabolites and central neurotransmitters of females of Aterigena aculeata in sexual catalepsy closely resemble females in thanatosis but are distinct from those in anaesthesia, indicating that the courted females feign death to eliminate the risk of potentially aggressive responses and thereby allow preferred males to mate. Unlike the taxonomically widespread thanatosis, which generally represents a deceptive visual signal that acts against the interest of the receivers, sexual catalepsy of females in the funnel weaving spiders may deliver a sexual-receptive signal to the courting males and thereby benefit both the signal senders and receivers. Therefore, sexual catalepsy in A. aculeata may not reflect a conflict but rather a confluence of interest between the sexes.

中文翻译：

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雌性采用性强直来促进交配

理论预测，雌雄异体物种通常会在交配频率和选择方面发生进化性冲突。雌性食人是这种冲突的一个特别引人注目的例证，在包括蜘蛛在内的某些动物类群中很普遍。尽管如此，一些通常对同种动物具有攻击性的漏斗织蛛的雌性在雄性求爱后会进入强直状态，以确保雄性可以在没有攻击风险的情况下交配。在这项研究中，我们证明了性强直性昏厥中雌性针叶蝉的身体姿势和持续时间、代谢物和中枢神经递质与处于死亡状态的雌性非常相似，但与处于麻醉状态的雌性截然不同，表明被求爱的雌性假死以消除潜在攻击性反应的风险，从而允许更喜欢的雄性交配。与分类学上广泛传播的死亡病不同，后者通常代表一种欺骗性的视觉信号，会损害接收者的利益，漏斗织蛛中雌性的性强直可能会向求爱的雄性传递性接受信号，从而使信号发送者和信号发送者都受益接收器。因此，A. aculeata 的性强直症可能反映的不是冲突，而是两性之间利益的汇合。漏斗编织蜘蛛中雌性的性强直可能会向求爱的雄性传递性接受信号，从而使信号发送者和接收者都受益。因此，A. aculeata 的性强直症可能反映的不是冲突，而是两性之间利益的汇合。漏斗编织蜘蛛中雌性的性强直可能会向求爱的雄性传递性接受信号，从而使信号发送者和接收者都受益。因此，A. aculeata 的性强直症可能反映的不是冲突，而是两性之间利益的汇合。