Phoretic copulation in the velvet ant Sphaeropthalma pensylvanica (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae): A novel behavior for Sphaeropthalminae with a synthesis of mating strategies in Mutillidae

By

Waldren, George
Roberts, Jason
Pitts, James

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

Journal of Hymenoptera research

Volume

78

Pages

69--89

Subjects

Ethology , phoresy , sexual dimorphism

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Washington, D.C International Society of Hymenopterists

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.78.55762

 

Abstract

Phoretic copulation, a form of phoresy in which a male physically transports a female by flight and/or foot from their initial site of contact before mating, is newly recorded in the Nearctic velvet antSphaeropthalma pensylvanica(Lepeletier, 1845) (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Further, this is the first record of the behavior in the species-rich subfamily Sphaeropthalminae. A description of theS. pensylvanicamating observation and photographs are provided. All published observations of copulation events in Mutillidae are critically reviewed in the context of mating strategy, and new terminology is proposed for the mating strategies currently known to occur in the family.