SELECTIVE MATE CHOICE BY FEMALES OF 
HARPOBITTACUS AUSTRALIS 
(MECOPTERA: B1TTACIDAE)* 
By John Alcock 
Department of Zoology 
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281 
The use of nuptial gifts in courtship is a relatively rare phe¬ 
nomenon among insects but it is well developed in the Bittacidae 
where it has been studied in detail by Thornhill (1976, 1977, 1979). 
In an investigation of Hylobittacus apiealis Thornhill (1976) demon¬ 
strated that females exercise choice in the selection of mates, prefer¬ 
ring those that offer superior gifts; males that gave their mates large 
nutritious prey were permitted to copulate longer and transfer more 
sperm than males that offered small or unpalatable food presents. 
This paper outlines limited evidence that the duration of feeding and 
copulation by females of Australian mecopteran, Harpobittacus 
australis Klug, is also linked to the quality of the nuptial gifts pro¬ 
vided by the male. 
Methods 
The species was studied in Warrumbungle National Park in 
northern New South Wales between 18-23 December 1978, a period 
of dry, warm weather when insects were active. Males and females 
appeared in the late morning and afternoon and perched on flowers, 
grasses and shrubs on a hillside by a small brook. I searched for 
males that were carrying a prey present, and upon finding one 
remained with it until the prey was discarded or until the insect 
moved and was lost to sight. As soon as a male was detected, I 
estimated the length of the prey in mm, recorded the manner in 
which it was carried and made notes on any social interactions that 
occurred. 
Results 
My observations of the sexual behavior of H. australis are in 
general agreement with those of Bornemissza (1966). Males carry 
nuptial gifts impaled on the beak or gripped with the hind tarsi 
* Manuscript received by the editor November 2, 1979. 
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