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Mating behavior and genital damage during copulation in the leaf beetle Lema coronata (Chrysomelidae: Criocerinae)
Author(s) -
MATSUMURA Yoko,
AKIMOTO Shinichi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
entomological science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1479-8298
pISSN - 1343-8786
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-8298.2009.00315.x
Subject(s) - biology , mating , courtship , sex organ , zoology , anatomy , botany
The criocerine leaf beetle Lema coronata Baly has extremely long genitalia that reach more than twice the body length in both sexes. We observed mating behavior of this species in the laboratory and inspected the male genital morphology using a scanning electron microscope. The males did not perform pre‐copulatory courtship and post‐copulatory guarding of the mates, and copulation lasted only for about 30 min. The surface of male genitalia is smooth without any special structures at the tip. A fragment of broken male genitalia was detected in the spermathecal duct of one female. We discuss the adaptive significance of male genital damage and the selective factor of elongated genitalia.