Precopulatory oral sex contact plays an important role in copulatory success in a cryptic desert beetle |
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| Authors: | Xinghu Qin Jinshu Yang Jingchuan Ma Thomas Ryan Lock Guangjun Wang Zehua Zhang |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing China ; 2. School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews UK ; 3. Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot China ; 4. Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia MO, USA |
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| Abstract: | Precopulatory courtship plays an essential role in the insemination process and influences postcopulatory behavior between males and females. Male precopulatory oral stimulation of female genitals is rare for invertebrates. Here, we describe an intriguing oral sexual courtship in a cryptic desert beetle Platyope mongolica Faldermann. The males repeatedly contact the female''s genitals using their mouths to gain consent to mate. Furthermore, the rate at which males contact the female''s genitals relates to the copulation success in a series of observations. However, interference in oral sexual contacts decreased the proportion of successful copulation. Further no‐choice tests found homosexual behavior between males with antenna removed. We report the precopulatory oral sexual behavior and its important role for copulation success in P. mongolica for the first time. These findings highlight the significance of oral sexual courtship in sexual selection. |
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| Keywords: | courtship mating behavior oral sexual contact sexual selection |
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