i QO BULLETIN 407 



Mating habits 



Mating occurs shortly after emergence, as adults which emerged June 

 6 were found copulating the following day. The males are very aggressive 

 in seeking the females, often fighting vigorously among themselves for 

 possession of the female, biting each other about the head and appendages. 

 On June 13, a small-sized male attempting to copulate with a female, 

 and being roughly pushed aside by a larger male, seized his larger opponent 

 by the hind leg and held on for several seconds until vicious bites on the 

 head and legs caused the smaller male to loosen his hold. In mating, 

 the front legs of the male are clasped around the female's abdomen, the 

 middle and hind legs trailing on the ground. In this position, the female 

 drags him about with her over the trunks and branches, stopping only 

 during the act of copulation. Copulation occurs frequently and lasts 

 but a few seconds. On June 13, mating occurred eight times in fifteen 

 minutes. When copulation is completed, the penis and ovipositor pull 

 away with considerable difficulty, both being considerably extended from 

 the abdomen in the process. Several males may mate with a single 

 female. 



Opposition 



Oviposition takes place very soon after copulation, as females which 

 were observed mating on June 13 deposited eggs the following day. The 

 eggs are always placed in crevices or under scales of the bark. Smooth 

 branches are rejected unless there are rough spots or crevices present 

 where eggs may be laid. To facilitate observations, the writer obtained 

 branches with very smooth bark, and cut slits in them at various intervals 

 which provided favorable places for the deposition of eggs. These were 

 placed in cages which each contained a single fertilized female, and obser- 

 vations were made. Before ovipositing, the female walked around, 

 exploring the slits with antennae and ovipositor. Having found an 

 apparently suitable place, the female inserted her ovipositor into it, moving 

 it about in a manner suggesting the movements of a house-fly's mouth 

 parts in exploring a bit of food. If the crevice was unsuitable for depositing 

 an egg, the ovipositor was withdrawn and another crevice explored. This 

 process was continued until a suitable place was found and then the eggs 

 were deposited. 



The number of eggs laid in a single crevice varies. In the insectary, 

 where artificial scars were made in very smooth bark, the number of 

 eggs placed in a single crevice varied from one to fourteen. Under normal 

 conditions, in the field, the greatest number of eggs found in a single 

 crevice was five. 



