TY - JOUR
T1 - Swarming and mating behavior in Ephemera orientalis Mclachlan, 1875 (Ephemeroptera
T2 - Ephemeridae) with morphological analyses
AU - Miyatake, Takahisa
AU - Suge, Taichi
AU - Suzaki, Shunsuke
AU - Tanabe, Shintaro
AU - Ishihara, Ryo
AU - Matsumura, Kentarou
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Swarming and mating behaviors of a mayfly species, Ephemera orientalis Mclachlan, 1875 were observed in 2015, 2016, and 2018 at a river bank of the Asahi River, Japan. Males started to make swarms between late April and middle May in 2016 and 2018. The numbers of mated pairs in a swarm correlated with the numbers of flying males in a swarm in 2016 and 2018. Swarms were formed during a limited period at dusk most probably because that interval is free from natural enemies. Males competed with each other to copulate with females in swarms. We clarified the function of the forelegs of males, which are significantly longer than those of females. Males used their forelegs to hold up a female from below. Besides forelegs, males have longer tails than females. We will discuss why sexual differences are found in these traits. Our results represent the first observation of swarm mating behavior in E. orientalis.
AB - Swarming and mating behaviors of a mayfly species, Ephemera orientalis Mclachlan, 1875 were observed in 2015, 2016, and 2018 at a river bank of the Asahi River, Japan. Males started to make swarms between late April and middle May in 2016 and 2018. The numbers of mated pairs in a swarm correlated with the numbers of flying males in a swarm in 2016 and 2018. Swarms were formed during a limited period at dusk most probably because that interval is free from natural enemies. Males competed with each other to copulate with females in swarms. We clarified the function of the forelegs of males, which are significantly longer than those of females. Males used their forelegs to hold up a female from below. Besides forelegs, males have longer tails than females. We will discuss why sexual differences are found in these traits. Our results represent the first observation of swarm mating behavior in E. orientalis.
KW - Aquatic insect
KW - Copulation
KW - Emergence
KW - Foreleg
KW - Mayfly
KW - Swarm
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101200723&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85101200723&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.aspen.2021.01.012
DO - 10.1016/j.aspen.2021.01.012
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85101200723
VL - 24
SP - 376
EP - 382
JO - Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology
JF - Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology
SN - 1226-8615
IS - 1
ER -