2 7 8 
Psyche 
[September 
MATING BEHAVIOR of EURYCOTIS FLOR/DANA 
? BEHAVIOR RELEASER d" BEHAVIOR 
ORIENTED 
LOCOMOTION 
4 
TOUCHES cf 
with ANTENNAE 
ANTENNAL 
STROKING of 
d"s BODY 
i££f/7e 
MOTIONLESS 
ANTENNAL STROKING 
of 9's BODY 
Chem 
, ' LATERAL VIBRATION 
Tn -*;ie Sti!!L-§tZ2I--5^r-rT^3ne with TURNING 
MOUNTING + J 9 ar^i'i^T5r phe,om 
FEEDING 
ToclUeJli^ 
TURNING 
inSS — t COPULATORY THRUSTS 
(Genital Connection) 
OPPOSED POSITION 
Figure 1. A summary of the mating behavior of Eurycotis floridana 
indicating the possible releasers for each step in the sequence. 
mount another female, but this is much less likely to be tolerated 
by the female being mounted than by a male under similar circum- 
stances. Females subjected to mounting by other females either 
run out from under or respond -aggressively showing the behavior 
patterns of sexually unreceptive males. The orientation of mounting 
movements in this species is often very poor. The female may mount 
from any angle, but copulation is rarely successful unless she mounts 
from the correct posterior position, as males rarely attempt to perform 
the lateral movements necessary to correct a poorly oriented mounting. 
Copulating pairs remain quiescent in the opposed position unless 
disturbed by the courting activities of other individuals. Such dis- 
