1988] 
Eberhard — Courtship in Himantigera 
121 
It is not certain which female post-coupling reproductive pro- 
cesses) male H. nigrifemorata were attempting to induce. Rocking 
behavior may serve to start the female walking, causing her to move 
away from other males down into the vegetation. 
Strictly post-coupling courtship involving body parts other than 
genitalia also occurs in the bee Centris pallida (Alcock and Buch- 
mann 1985), the sphecid wasp Glenostictia satan (Longair et al. 
1987), another stratiomyid, Merosargus stamineus (Fabricius) (pers. 
obs.), and perhaps the phorid fly Megaselia sp. (W. Wcislo in prep.). 
It may be significant that in all of these species males swarm (or, in 
the case of the phorid, are at least common) at sites where receptive 
females occur, and compete to grab females before other males do 
so. Males in such swarms may have to postpone courtship until they 
have the female “in hand” and protected from the advances of other 
males. That females consistently allow immediate coupling in these 
species argues against the supposed need for females to make males 
prove their species identity with elaborate courtships before they 
allow them to copulate. 
Summary 
Males of Himantigera nigrifemorata consistently courted females, 
but only after they had achieved genitalic coupling. Courtship con- 
sisted of a complex series of partially stereotyped behaviors. Such 
post-intromission courtship is in accord with the idea that “cryptic 
female choice” is selectively important. 
Acknowledgments 
I thank Norman Woodley for kindly identifying the flies and 
providing background information. Bill Wcislo and Mary Jane 
West-Eberhard made helpful comments on the manuscript, and the 
Vicerrectoria de Investigation of the Universidad de Costa Rica 
provided financial support. 
References 
Alcock, J. and S. Buchmann. 1985. The significance of post-insemination dis- 
play by male Centris pallida (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Z. Tierpsychol. 
Eberhard, W. G. 1985. Sexual selection and animal genitalia. Harvard Univ. 
Press, Cambridge. 
