Female sexual receptivity and male copula guarding during prolonged copulations in the damselflyIschnura senegalensis (Odonata:Coenagrionidae) |
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Authors: | Kouji Sawada |
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Institution: | (1) Kashii High School, 2-9-1, Kashii, Higashi-ku, 813-0011 Fukuoka, Japan |
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Abstract: | Laboratory experiments were conducted to clarify the relationship between female sexual receptivity and male copula guarding
inI. senegalensis, a species that copulates for several hours. In insectaries, most copulations were initiated early in the morning, and terminated
relatively synchronously between 11 00 and 13 00. Females refused males with wing-flutter display and oviposited alone in
the afternoon regardless of copulation events of that morning. Females could sexually receive males only in the morning. Males
copulated for several hours until 12 00 after which females could oviposit. To determine whether copulations that last for
hours function as male copula guarding or only of sperm displacement, emerged males were kept at various densities and permitted
to copulate with virgin and mated females in insectaries. Both with virgin and mated females, “social” (not solitary; 2–4
males / insectary) males initiated copulations early in the morning and always terminated at around 12 00. However, both with
virgin and mated females, solitary (one male / insectary) males terminated copulations in the morning. In both cases, duration
of copulations did not significantly differ for virgin females and mated females. Therefore, long (several hour) copulation
is more likely to function as male copula guarding than as sperm displacement, and duration of copulations is predicted to
be shortened when male density is very low. |
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Keywords: | |
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