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Psyche 
[December 
tomidae it may not be uncommon for males to initiate copulation 
while facing directly away from the female. This behavior is rare 
among the Heteroptera (Weber, 1930). Below we have summarized 
the major methods by which pentatomids achieve genital linkage. 
Genital linkage initiated in an end-to-end position 
Brochymena (this paper), Euschistus (Alcock, 1971), Nezara 
(Mitchell and Mau, 1969), Chlorochroa and Cosmopepla (Fish 
and Alcock, 1973), Perillus (Esselbaugh, 1948), Podisus (Olsen, 
1910) 
Genital linkage initiated with male above female, both facing in same 
direction 
Brochymena (Ruckes, 1938), Dolycoris (Teyrovsky, 1949), 
Calidea (Kaufmann, 1966) 
Genital linkage initiated with female above male, both facing in same 
direction 
Podisus (Tostowaryk, 1971) 
We also have records of end-to-end matings in Phyanta pallido- 
virens. Males of this species, upon making contact with a female, 
begin antennating the surface of her body while moving to the tip 
of her abdomen. There they may prod and lift the female’s body 
with their head before turning away from her. The female, if 
receptive, raises her abdomen slightly. Unlike other species which 
initiate copulation in a dismounted position, the male’s body often 
forms a right angle with the female instead of a 180° angle. The 
male then kicks lightly at the rear of its partner’s wingcovers and 
abdomen with its hind legs before inserting the aedeagus into the 
female’s genital opening. 
As Fish and Alcock (1973) have noted, species which employ -the 
end-to-end method have highly similar courtship routines. Common 
characteristics include (1) male antennation of the female, (2) at- 
tempts by the male to lift the female’s abdomen with its head, 
(3) abdominal elevation by receptive females, and (4) tactile stim- 
ulation of the venter of the female’s abdomen with the antennae and 
aedeagus of the male. The male’s “goal” in courtship appears to be 
to induce the female to adopt a position that will make insertion 
of the aedeagus relatively easy. 
The unusual feature of the courtship of B. quadrapustulata is the 
rapid crab-like movement of the male over the head and thorax of 
the female, a behavior that may have evolved from efforts of males 
in the past to prevent physically the escape of females. Now the 
action may serve as a releaser of abdominal elevation by receptive 
