Spontaneous male death and monogyny in the dark fishing spider.

Abstract in brief

• The study investigates the dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus and finds that males tend to mate with only one female (monogyny), often resulting in their own death after mating, which includes genital mutilation.
• Field surveys show a male-biased sex ratio likely caused by early male maturation strategies, while experiments confirm males prefer virgin females and that first males have priority for fertilization.
• Overall, the research presents a unique case of male self-sacrifice in a species with female-biased size differences, supporting theories that such behaviors can evolve due to specific reproductive and ecological factors.]