Observation of a cross-subfamily male-male mating attempt of grasshoppers in Kazakhstan (Orthoptera, Acrididae)

By

Hawlitschek, Oliver
Sevastianov, Nikita
Pamin, Jan-Henrik
Husemann, Martin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-5-28

Original Publication

Metabarcoding and metagenomics

Volume

9

Pages

1--3

Subjects

Dociostaurus , Dzungarian Alatau , interspecific sexual behavior , Kazakhstan , Oedaleus , same-sex sexual behavior

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2017-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.9.151006

 

Abstract

Same-sex and interspecific sexual behavior have been documented in arthropods, but records remain very scarce. We report a mating attempt of a male Dociostaurus kraussi (Ingenitzky, 1897) (Gomphocerinae) and a male of Oedaleus decorus (Germar, 1825) (Oedipodinae), both grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae), from the region of the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains in Kazakhstan. A Disc3D scan showed that the cerci of the D. kraussi male clearly connect to the external genitalia of the O. decorus male, but we could not ascertain if the genitalia were inserted or if any sperm was transferred. We consider erroneous recognition the most likely explanation but discuss other potential reasons, concluding that much remains to be learned about the highly complex reproductive behavior of acridid grasshoppers.