The genus Arthropoda consists of spiders, scorpions, crabs and centipedes. Most arthropods reproduce sexually and mate in different ways.
Black widow Spiders
Male black widow spiders have two main sex organs: the palps. The males search for females, following a trail of chemicals the Female’s web emits. After coming into contact, the male and female “court” for around 7 hours. Eventually, the male inserts his palps into the female and injects his sperm into her sperm storage organs. The sperm can be used for a lifetime, but mostly, it is used over a few months to fertilize the eggs she places in an egg sac of silk. Contrary to popular belief, the male is not always eaten afterwards and may mate many more times in their lives.
A Black widow female with her egg sac.
Black widow Spiders
Male black widow spiders have two main sex organs: the palps. The males search for females, following a trail of chemicals the Female’s web emits. After coming into contact, the male and female “court” for around 7 hours. Eventually, the male inserts his palps into the female and injects his sperm into her sperm storage organs. The sperm can be used for a lifetime, but mostly, it is used over a few months to fertilize the eggs she places in an egg sac of silk. Contrary to popular belief, the male is not always eaten afterwards and may mate many more times in their lives.
A Black widow female with her egg sac.
Centipedes
Centipedes are mostly solitary unless they have to mate. When a male finds a female, he creates a sperm sac on the ground and courts the female. The male taps her hind legs with his antennas and after a few hours brings her to the sac. The female absorbs the sperm into her sexual organs. The female departs and finds a place to lay her eggs. Some species lay a single egg at a time, others lay hundreds and either stand guard over them, or camouflage the eggs and leave. Only a few centipedes are capable of parthenogenesis, in which the female reproduces asexually, but the lack of a Y chromosome means that only females are produced.
Two Centipedes engaged in the mating ritual.
Centipedes are mostly solitary unless they have to mate. When a male finds a female, he creates a sperm sac on the ground and courts the female. The male taps her hind legs with his antennas and after a few hours brings her to the sac. The female absorbs the sperm into her sexual organs. The female departs and finds a place to lay her eggs. Some species lay a single egg at a time, others lay hundreds and either stand guard over them, or camouflage the eggs and leave. Only a few centipedes are capable of parthenogenesis, in which the female reproduces asexually, but the lack of a Y chromosome means that only females are produced.
Two Centipedes engaged in the mating ritual.
Lobsters
When lobsters mate, the female undergoes the journey to find a mate. The male waits in a shelter, and the female arrives and proceeds to molt (shed its shell to grow a new one). After molting, ½ an hour is used to wait for the Female’s shell to harden. The male proceeds to flip the female and inserts “gonopods” the sex organs into receptacles on the female. A spermatophore (a large gelatinous mass of densely packed sperm) is pushed into the female by two of the male’s legs. The male then proceeds to plug the female with another gelatinous mass to keep the spermatophore in. the female then leaves and never returns.
Two Lobsters in a male’s shelter
When lobsters mate, the female undergoes the journey to find a mate. The male waits in a shelter, and the female arrives and proceeds to molt (shed its shell to grow a new one). After molting, ½ an hour is used to wait for the Female’s shell to harden. The male proceeds to flip the female and inserts “gonopods” the sex organs into receptacles on the female. A spermatophore (a large gelatinous mass of densely packed sperm) is pushed into the female by two of the male’s legs. The male then proceeds to plug the female with another gelatinous mass to keep the spermatophore in. the female then leaves and never returns.
Two Lobsters in a male’s shelter