Copulation behavior inside and outside the beetleMacrohaltica jamaicensis (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae)

Copulation behavior inMacrohaltica jamaicensis involved a complex, relatively stereotyped series of events both inside and outside the female. Only incomplete sperm transfer occurred in many copulations. Some aspects of male copulatory courtship behavior performed during and following copulation were consistently coordinated with particular stages in sperm transfer. This coordination suggests that copulatory courtship may function to induce critical internal female responses which sometimes do not occur, such as relaxing the bursal muscles to permit deeper penetration, and allowing sperm transfer to occur before the spermatophore is discarded.