FEMALE MONOGAMY AND MALE COMPETITION 
IN P HO TIN US COLLUSTRANS 
(COLEOPTERA: LAMPYRIDAE)* 
By Steven R. Wing 
Department of Entomology and Nematology 
University of Florida 
Gainesville, Florida 32611 
Introduction 
Matings by Photinus collustrans females can easily be kept track 
of in the field. These brachypterous females live in burrows and 
remain near them. About 20 minutes after sunset males start to fly 
and search for females, which take positions on the soil surface or 
on vegetation (Lloyd 1966). Females flash in response to the signals 
of flying males, which locate them by their responses. Each night 
sexual activity is restricted to a period about 18 minutes long (Lloyd 
1966; also see T. Walker 1983 for a discussion of such ‘sprees’). P. 
collustrans females live about 10 days after their first appearance 
(Wing 1982); by observing a female for about 20 minutes per night 
for 10 nights, every sexual activity of her life can be recorded. There 
is no evidence that females mate under circumstances other than 
those mentioned above. 
This field study shows that only a very small proportion of 
collustrans females mate more than once. Yet the potential for 
female multiple mating apparently is the basis for the evolution of a 
complex of tactics used by competing males. 
Methods and Materials 
Field studies of collustrans were conducted in Alachua County, 
Florida. The site was a grassy area under scattered oaks, pines, and 
shrubs. The grass was mowed periodically. Two streetlights 
illuminated parts of the site. 
Females were located by their flash and/or glow responses to 
penlight simulations of male mating signals (see Lloyd 1966). The 
location of each female was marked by placing a numbered flag 
about 15 cm to the north of her. Flags were 10 X 40 cm strips of 
* Manuscript received by the editor January 22, 1984. 
153 
