The Female Orb Web Spider - A Mate or a Quick Meal?

Orb Web Spiders - Male and Female

Judging by the enormous disproportion of sizes I guess it's understandable that the Female Orb Web Spider would look at her mate and would take him by a "Quick Snack".

In fact, male orb web spider, have only a suitable purpose: To breed.

After that, the dating game is over and the deadly dance begins selecting those who are destine to continue their race and those fragile which exalt themselves in those tiny moments of glory but tend to be overwhelmed by the selection of spiceies.

Female spiders are well aware of the right moment where they can choose when to cut off intimate relations by eating her partner, or kicking him out. 

The Deadly Dance - Female eating the Male

This dynamic has led males to an unlikely strategy to make sure they have some say in the matter: self-castration. Males are able to leave part or all of their organ inside of a female, which decreases the odds the female will be able to mate again. But new research shows that when a male leaves his whole kit-and-caboodle behind, his likelihood of fathering the next batch of eggs is much higher. Why? His parting gift keeps on giving, even after he is gone.

This remote-copulation technique actually boosts the amount and speed of sperm transferred to the female. The behavior is described in the journal Biology Letters. [Daiqin Li et al, Remote Copulation: male adaptation to cannibalism, link to come]

So for these unlucky fellas, it is better to have loved—and lost, that is the wise solution regarding Orb Web Spiders.  from here

Orb Web Spiders - Male and Female on a dark dating game