Published December 11, 2017 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Traumatic mating by hand saw-like spines on the internal sac in Pyrrhalta maculicollis (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae)

  • 1. Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
  • 2. Unaffiliated, Kurashiki-shi, Japan
  • 3. Keio University, Yokohama, Japan

Description

Morphology of the aedeagus and vagina of Pyrrhalta maculicollis and its closely related species were investigated. The internal sac of P. maculicollis bears hand saw-like spines, which are arranged in a row. Healing wounds were found on the vagina of this species, whose females were collected in the field during a reproductive season. However, the number of the wounds is low in comparison to the number of the spines. In addition, males of P. tibialis bear one spinous sclerite on the internal sac, but the female of this species show no wounds on the vagina. The vaginal wall is thicker in P. maculicollis and P. tibialis in comparison to other studied species, whose males bear no spinous sclerite. This thickening in P. maculicollis is hypothesized that they prevent damaging their own internal sac during everting and withdrawing the internal sac with the spines.

Files

ZK_article_13015.pdf

Files (2.9 MB)

Name Size Download all
md5:0c4a9896efccd38bfe2b1ca931580ae8
2.8 MB Preview Download
md5:5ef387398265b59d0b178856636e01f0
90.0 kB Preview Download

Linked records