Variations in Cleaning Between the Sexes ofSinella Coeca (Collembola: Entomobryidae)

With the widespread and frequent occurrence of pheromones among insects, it is easy to appreciate the significance of cleaning and grooming behaviors. However these behaviors are as yet poorly known. Among springtails two papers by Simon (96, 963) present the most thorough reports. These describe the types of cleaning in representatives of several families, noting the widespread, though infrequent, use of cleaning droplets released trom the mouth. My work examines Sinella coeca (Schott) (Family Entomobryidae) t:or behavioral differences between the sexes. In particular, I have determined the frequency of cleaning and the duration of bouts of cleaning behavior. The initial expectation is that the sexes will spend about equal time cleaning. However, since males are more active, moving about most of the time, their bouts of cleaning are probably shorter. To compensate, I expected males to have more frequent cleaning sessions. An experiment was carried out to test these expectations.