16ª JORNADAS DEL GRUPO IBÉRICO DE ARACNOLOGÍA         Feeding regime, adult age and sexual size dimorphism as determinants of pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism in virgin wolf spiders           Gavin-Centol, M.P.1, Kalj-Fiser, S.1, De Mas, E.1, Ruiz-Lupión, D.1, &, Moya-Laraño, J.1           1Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, CSIC Almería           Pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism (Pre-SC), where females attack and consume courting males, is considered an extreme case of inter-sexual conflict. As Pre-SC may be costly for males and females, it puzzled resarchers since Darwin. In this research, we tested several existing hypotheses aiming to explain the phenomenon in virgin females of the wolf spider Lycosa fasciiventris. To test the "adaptive foraging hypothesis", we exposed virgin adult females to either rich or poor diet treatments (prey availability), and offered them males at different adult females ages (a proxy of mate availability during adulthood). In order to test the "mate choice hypothesis" and the "sexual size dimorphism hypothesis", we tested how male absolute and relative (to the female) body size, respectively, affected the probalility of Pre-SC. Finally, we asked if the female body size predicts the rate of Pre-SC as proposed by the "aggressive spillover hypothesis. Females from the poor diet treatment and females that were offered a mate shortly after reaching maturity more likely engaged in Pre-SC than females from the rich diet treatment and females that were deprived of males for longer periods. While females more likely cannibalized courting males of relatively or absolutely smaller body size, female absolute body size did not predict Pre-SC. Thus, our results support the "adaptive foraging hypothesis", the "mate choice hypothesis" and the "sexual size dimorphism hypothesis", and failed to find support for one of the predictions of the "aggressive spillover hypothesis".           Key words: adaptive foraging hypothesis, aggressive spillover hypothesis, Lycosidae, mate choice hypothesis, sexual size dimorphism hypothesis.