The unusual food provisioning by males beyond mating in the spider <i>Manogea porracea</i> (Araneidae)

Abstract The transfer of resources between mating pairs, beyond obligatory gametes, influences their fitness. In spiders, prey offerings generally occur from the male to the female and may increase male acceptance or female fecundity, but they are restricted to courtship and mating contexts. In the spider Manogea porracea (Araneidae), males offer prey to females both before and after copulation while guarding the mate and caring for offspring. Here, we first described this unusual behavior through different experiments in four populations from southeastern Brazil and analyzed adaptative consequences of its occurrence. We recorded the feeding duration of both sexes for the same prey, described male-female interactions, and assessed correlates of prey offerings (e.g., body condition and egg sac number). In all populations, males consistently offered prey to females without mating attempts; instead, they vibrated females’ webs to attract partners’ attention to the prey and then returned to their own web. Females eventually stole prey from males, but prey offerings were common. Males threw small prey from their webs to the females, but carried large prey through the supporting threads, often breaking some of them, directly to their mates. They partially consumed prey before offering the remnants to females, and the duration of female feeding decreased as the duration of male feeding increased. Males provisioned more often when females had laid more egg sacs but not based on the body condition of partners or their own condition. We discuss how male provisioning behavior may influence future egg production, female lifespan and parental care.