Abstract
SPECIES of the Australian genus Harpobittacus (Bittacidae, Mecoptera) have a complex mating habit not recorded elsewhere in the Insecta (Bornemissza1). It involves the release of a sex pheromone by two intertergal vesicles on the abdomen of the males which lures females to its vicinity. Mating follows, during which the male presents to the female a nuptial meal consisting of a previously captured insect2. Of the six known species of Harpobittacus, the mating behaviour of four has been investigated and found to be essentially identical.
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References
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BORNEMISSZA, G. Specificity of Male Sex Attractants in some Australian Scorpion Flies. Nature 209, 732–733 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/209732a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/209732a0
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