Kaliana female genitalia: asymmetry and exaggeration
Published in J. Morphol., 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10431  PDF
 

Photos: B. A. Huber

The male genitalia of Kaliana yuruani (now Mesabolivar yuruani) are extremely exaggerated, with a procursus about six times as long as usual. In 2002, I finally was able to collect the previously unknown female in Venezuela. As expected, female internal genitalia are also exagggerated. In addition, Kaliana females present the third known case of genital asymmetry in spiders. On the left is a reconstructed image based on serial sections (using the program Reconstruct by John Fiala), on the right an SEM image with one asymmetric structure highlighted.