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Psyche 
[September 
the release of mounting behavior in animals in contact with a 
vibrating animal, it is evidently not the only source of stimulation 
involved, as females have been observed running from a distance 
of several inches and mounting a vibrating male directly without 
previous contact. Visual clues seem unlikely to be involved in the 
release of mounting and feeding by lateral vibration. It seems likely 
that some sort of pheromone stimulation is involved, perhaps the 
same as that which originally attracted the female. The displaying 
animal may release a greater quantity of the pheromone than a non- 
displaying one or the movements may set up air currents which would 
serve to disseminate the pheromone, a function also suggested for 
the wing fluttering of displaying males of Periplaneta (Barth, 1968a). 
The question of whether this hypothetical male sex pheromone is 
the same as the substance produced by the glandular area on the 
first abdominal tergite upon which the mounting female feeds awaits 
further work. The importance of this lateral vibration movement in 
the courtship of the male is emphasized by the fact that males rarely 
attempt copulation with mounting females unless the males have 
previously shown the vibration display. Thus lateral vibration may 
be considered to be an indication of sexual receptivity in the male. 
The tactile stimulation of the dorsal abdominal surface of the 
male resulting from female’s mounting and feeding activities is in 
all likelihood the major releaser of the male’s copulatory movements. 
A considerable amount of stimulation seems to be required, as the 
mounting and feeding phase of the mating behavior sequence is more 
prolonged in E. floridana than in any other species thus far. Pre- 
sumably tactile stimulation resulting from genital contact releases the 
turning movements which result in the assumption of the opposed 
position. 
CONCLUSION 
The mating behavior of this species is quite aberrant, differing 
considerably from that of other blattids which have been studied (all 
members of the Blattinae - Barth, 1968a). Many of these differences 
are doubtless the result of morphological specializations (wingless- 
ness), and the active role of the female in courtship. These differences 
include the curious lateral vibration movement and the absence of 
wing raising and backing movements in the male, and the prolonged 
period of feeding in the female. Possible differences in releasers 
between E. floridana and other Blattidae have already been discussed. 
It is obvious that further study of this peculiar species is necessary 
before its mating behavior can be fully understood. Furthermore, 
