SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN THE BLISTER BEETLE GENUS CYSTEODEMUS (COLEOPTERA: MELOIDAE)
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Abstract Sexual behavior in the two species of Cysteodemus LeConte consists of: (1) a simple form of courtship that lacks an elaborate tactual display, (2) a prolonged mating period during which the male remains mounted on the female, (3) high levels of female receptivity regardless of previous mating, and (4) postcopulatory behavior. This behavior represents a condition intermediate between that found in the Meloinae and Nemognathinae, the two major subfamilies of blister beetles.Keywords:
Courtship display
Environmental stress is a major factor that affects courtship behavior and evolutionary fitness. Although mature virgin females of Drosophila melanogaster usually accept a courting male to mate, they may not mate under stressful conditions. Above the temperature optimal for mating (20–25 °C), copulation success of D. melanogaster declines with increasing temperature although we observed vigorous courtship attempts by males, and no copulation takes place at temperatures over 36 °C. We attempted to identify the sensory pathway for detecting heat threat that drives a female to escape rather than to engage in mating that detects hot temperature and suppresses courtship behavior. We found that the artificial activation of warmth-sensitive neurons (‘hot cells’) in the antennal arista of females completely abrogates female copulation success even at permissive temperatures below 32 °C. Moreover, mutational loss of the GR28b.d thermoreceptor protein caused females to copulate even at 36 °C. These results indicate that antennal hot cells provide the input channel for detecting the high ambient temperature in the control of virgin female mating under stressful conditions.
Courtship display
Receptivity
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Abstract Consistency in behaviour is currently receiving a renewed interest. Although courtship display is generally consistent in terms of behavioural sequence and structure, there is also commonly important variation in the intensity of courtship display between and within males of a given species. Indeed, not all males have the same ability to perform courtship display (variation between males), and each male can potentially adjust his courtship effort in response to the environment (variation within a male). Although the study of male courtship display has received considerable attention in recent years, it is still unclear which part of the variation can be explained by male ability or motivation. We investigated this issue on two phases of the complex courtship display of the palmate newt Lissotriton helveticus . Overall, we found that both male and female identities affected courtship behaviour, but the relative influence of each sex depended on the courtship phase. Male identity explained variation in fan and creep‐quiver display, whereas female identity explained variation in creep‐quiver only. Interestingly, we did not find any link between the expression of courtship display and male or female morphological traits. Our study showed consistency of male courtship display in newts and successfully dissects the different sources of variation that can affect behavioural repeatability/consistency of courtship display.
Courtship display
Variation (astronomy)
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Abstract We compared courtship behaviour of male threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from an 'old' hybrid zone (OldHZ) and 'new' hybrid zones (NewHZ) in southwest British Columbia. High frequencies of phenotypically-intermediate forms occurred in each HZ, between the low-plated freshwater (FW) and high-plated marine (MAR) forms. The OldHZ was formed early in the present post-glacial period and probably has existed for thousands of years. The 'new' HZ (NewHZ) is a system of drainage ditches built in the late nineteenth century. In the laboratory, we quantified and compared courtship behaviour (zigzags, bites, creeping through, fanning) of males from each HZ. We compared these results with those from a previous study that quantified courtship of FW and MAR males. In general, courtship of male from the NewHZ was intermediate between the FW and MAR forms, but zigzag courtship of males from the OldHZ was the significantly less vigorous. In general, other courtship behaviour (biting, fanning, gluing, crawling through and the first response) of hybrid zones males was intermediate between FW and MAR males. Within each HZ, courtship differences were not related to phenotype (lateral plates) or size of males or females. The reduced zigzag courtship of OldHZ males is consistent with the hypothesis that change in courtship behaviour of hybrid phenotypes is evidence of the development of premating isolating mechanisms between the FW and MAR forms. There is no evidence, however, of any form of hybrid inviability although we did suspect that we had less success getting OldHZ males to build nests in our laboratory tanks. Without firm evidence of some form of hybrid inviability, the conclusion that male courtship could serve as an isolating mechanism remains speculative.
Courtship display
Poeciliidae
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Courtship and mating behaviors of the wolf spider Pardosa astrigera were determined in laboratory.Results indicated that the push-up behavior of the male plays an important role in courtship.Copulation in this wolf spider species was characterized by a pattern which male alternated the use of palps after each insertion at first,and followed by consecutive insertions with each palp,with multiple expansions of the hematodocha per insertion.The numbers of palp insertions in each complete mating counted 29.625 on average.Durations of precopulatory courtship,copulation and effective copulation of the pairs mated in laboratory averaged 6 min,32 min 25 s and 11 min 11 s respectively.Results of multiple mating suggest that female P.astrigera be essentially monandrous,while males be polygynous.Female mating status influenced sexual cannibalism,in which mated females killed the mates more frequently than virgin ones.
Wolf spider
Polygyny
Cannibalism
Courtship display
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Courtship behaviors in birds are often considered male-specific, as males compete for mates through displays that exhibit individual quality. Several courtship displays have been described for male Northern Cardinals including the complex song-dance display. We observed female cardinals performing the song-dance display on two separate occasions in south Mississippi within pre-breeding and breeding periods. Female performance of the display was very similar as reported for males. Given the behavioral attributes of cardinal mating pairs, it is plausible that bi-directional mate choice exists for this species and females are demonstrating aspects of individual quality to males through the song-dance display. Additional monitoring of courtship behavior is needed to determine the function of female performance display that was previously thought to be male specific.
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Sexual behaviors are instinctually exhibited without prior training, but they are modulated by experience. One of the precopulatory behaviors in adult male mice, courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), has attracted considerable academic attention recently. Male mice emit ultrasounds as courtship behavior when encountering females. However, the modulatory effects of experience on USVs remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the effects of sociosexual experience and aging on adult male vocalizations. First, we examined the effect of aging. The number of USVs decreased in an age-dependent manner. Following this, young adult male mice were co-housed for two weeks with normal female mice or ovariectomized (OVX) female mice, or housed without female mice, and the number of courtship USVs before and after co-housing were compared. In males housed with normal or OVX females, USVs increased significantly after co-housing. In contrast, males housed without females did not exhibit a significant increase of USVs. A facilitative effect of co-housing with female mice on vocalizations was also observed in aged males. In addition, females used as co-housing partners became pregnant, and the reproductive rate may be related to the vocal activity observed in the partnered males. These results indicate that sociosexual experience and aging affect vocalization activity, which may be related to courtship and/or reproductive function.
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Melanogaster
Reproductive isolation
Courtship display
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Abstract Drosophila melanogaster males perform a series of courtship behaviors that, when successful, result in copulation with a female. For over a century, mutations in the yellow gene, named for its effects on pigmentation, have been known to reduce male mating success. Prior work has suggested that yellow influences mating behavior through effects on wing extension, song, and/or courtship vigor. Here, we rule out these explanations, as well as effects on the nervous system more generally, and find instead that the effects of yellow on male mating success are mediated by its effects on pigmentation of male-specific leg structures called sex combs. Loss of yellow expression in these modified bristles reduces their melanization, which changes their structure and causes difficulty grasping females prior to copulation. These data illustrate why the mechanical properties of anatomy, and not just neural circuitry, must be considered to fully understand the development and evolution of behavior.
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The South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a pest of fruit species of warm regions of the Americas, including Argentina. Some authors claim that this taxon includes a group of cryptic species. In order to evaluate possible targets of sexual selection, it is necessary to analyze ethological aspects of male courtship and identify particular steps that strongly influence mating success. A mating test designed to evaluate behavioral differences between insects that achieve copulation (successful males) and those that did not mate (unsuccessful males) could also be relevant for the possible implementation of control programs based on sterile insect technique. Reared insects need to be evaluated periodically, since genetic drift and artificial selection associated with rearing conditions could have a detrimental effect on their ability to compete for matings in nature. In this study, courtship behavior of A. fraterculus males from a laboratory strain was analyzed for the first time through video recordings. Three components for the activities were identified: calling, wing positions, and movements. Also, the time that males spent on each step of the courtship was registered, including the last activities before attempting copulation. Data showed that mating achievement occurs relatively quickly; 65% of the successful males reached copulation within the first ten minutes after the male and female were placed together. Behavioral differences were detected between successful and unsuccessful males. The former group tended to invest more time in activities directly related with mating (Spin, Arrowhead, Attempt); however, as courtship progressed, unsuccessful males increased the time dedicated to activities not directly associated to mating (Call 0, Relax, Stationary). There was not a single sequence of activities leading to success, but the analysis of the last activities performed before mating attempts indicated that the most frequent position before successful attempts was Arrowhead, occurring in 68% of cases, whereas in unsuccessful males this position was observed only 18% of the time before mounting. Although the behavior of the strain analyzed here should be compared with that of natural populations, one would not expect to observe significant differences as compatibility and competitiveness with wild collected flies was previously shown under field cage conditions. Behavioral tests such as those applied here might be important to assess quality of mass reared strains for sterile insect technique implementation programs.
Courtship display
Anastrepha
Strain (injury)
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Wild Connection: What Animal Courtship and Mating Tell Us About Human Relationships is a fascinating book that details one woman's personal attempt to reveal the mysteries of human courtship and ma...
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