I was wondering the same. Also, how will this species threatposture? It's maybe a dumb thought, but since rearing back would mean the horn comes in contact with the abdomen? Maybe this species isn't prone to rearing up almost backwards like other Ceratogyrus species...that would mean that a lighter threatposture from this species should be taken seriously. Of course, threatpostures should always be taken seriously, but it could affect their behaviour..just a random thought entering my mind..
Maybe it's partially a way to protect the male during mating. Harder for the female to bite him if she's coming down from above him.
Didn't even think about that...but the female does have to bend backwards a lot..
I was thinking the same. I have no idea how the Polaks pulls it off again and again, but they sure do
Interesting....
I wonder what the males look like...are they like marshalli where they really don't have one, or are they like darlingi and the males just have a slightly smaller horn.
That photo isn't very clear but the spider looks pretty leggy. Could be a male.
I suppose it could be, but I doubt it....but I don't know any more about the species than anyone else....I'd just be surprised if males had that dramatic of a "horn".
Learn something everyday on the boards...I didn't know males have smaller or no horns, thank you!
That is what I initially thought too. I thought the "horn" we were seeing was a back leg, and it had blurred together on the photo to look like it was part of the horn. But after staring at the photo, and counting legs, that'd have to be a 9th leg. However, I do still see just a squat, black horn with *something* over the abdomen, because it's between the two back legs, obscuring part of our view of the back leg on the T's left side (the side furthest from the camera). Is it a leg, and I'm counting wrong? It's not a good picture.