FALSE-SCORPIONS 



109 



copulation and fertilisation is effected by means of a spermato- 

 phore. The male and female face one another in walking position, 

 the male grasping one or both of the pedipalps of the female with 

 one or both of his own. There is a forced courtship during which 

 the male makes display of definite character. At length he extrudes 

 a spermatophore which is attached to the substrate in front of the 

 female where it stands erect or obliquely. The male then retires 

 and the female moves forward until her genital opening comes into 

 contact with the spermatophore which is received without delay. 



Courtship varies in the two species correlated with their morpho- 

 logical differences. D. latreillei holds the female with both palps 

 and makes display with his ram's-horn organs, releasing her just 

 before extruding a spermatophore. When she comes forward he 



Fig. 26. Courtship dance of false-scorpions. (After Vachon, 1938.) 



seizes her by the genital opening with his first pair of legs and 

 executes a series of pulling movements by which the reception of 

 the male product is facilitated. The animals then separate and go 

 their different ways. In D. cyrneus the male holds his mate with 

 one pedipalp only, the other being shaken in her face, and his first 

 legs are moved rapidly, being lifted and replaced in a peculiar 

 fashion. The female, who is apparently 'much impressed' by these 

 actions, is not released during extrusion of the spermatophore 

 which she takes quickly without the male seizing her genital open- 

 ing. After a period of repose the whole process may be repeated a 



