Photo Credit: Andrea Piccinini

Andrea Piccinini  (PhD Candidate, UWA).

The wishbone spiders of the genus Aname are highly diverse mygalomorph spiders, with an extremely widespread distribution across mainland Australia. Andrea’s project focused on addressing the taxonomic knowledge shortfall on this group in the Northern Jarrah Forest subregion, and providing insights on mating behaviour and the influence of sexual selection on these spiders. Six new species have already been described for the area (with many more to come), and a remarkable mating system – especially regarding post-copulation behaviours – has been revealed.