Male beetles attracted by females mounting

Ally R. Harari () and H. Jane Brockmann
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Ally R. Harari: University of Florida
H. Jane Brockmann: University of Florida

Nature, 1999, vol. 401, issue 6755, 762-763

Abstract: Abstract Intrasexual mounting is performed by males and females of many taxa1, and female–female mounting occurs in insects, lizards, birds and mammals1,2. Although the adoption by females of other male-like characters, such as mimicry of male colour patterns3,4,5, is known to be advantageous, the benefits of female–female mounting have remained mysterious. Here we describe a pattern of female–female mounting in the beetle Diaprepes abbreviatus (Curculionidae) and demonstrate that it conveys a possible evolutionary advantage by providing a greater opportunity for the females to mate with larger males. This explanation may also apply to female intrasexual mounting in several other insect species.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1038/44515

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