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Temporal patterning of courtship behaviour in some parasitic Hymenoptera, with special reference to Melittobia acasta
Author(s) -
ASSEM J.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of entomology series a, general entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0047-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.1976.tb00128.x
Subject(s) - courtship , eulophidae , biology , courtship display , arthropod mouthparts , repertoire , hymenoptera , zoology , ethogram , spider , communication , evolutionary biology , ecology , parasitoid , acoustics , psychology , physics
In many parasitic hymenoptera copulation is preceded by elaborate courtship displays which include species‐specific characteristics. Other features, shared by related species, may be used for defining higher taxa. The male's repertoire consists of movements involving the wings, legs, antennae, and mouthparts. These movements are performed continuously, or intermittently, depending on the species involved. The elements of a repertoire are repeated over and over again until the female indicates her readiness to copulate. Temporal patterning of various displays, and the timing of the female response are described. In Melittobia acasta (Walker) (Eulophidae) the male display is composed not only of repeating elements, but also includes new elements, introduced along the way; the display progresses towards a climactic finale. The timing of the female's copulation signal is accurately predictable. The morphology of Melittobia males is discussed in relation to this behaviour. Courtship of a related species, M.chalybii , is compared to the courtship of M.acasta .