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1 September 2002 Mating Behavior, Insemination and Sperm Transfer in the Ground Beetle Carabus insulicola
Yasuoki Takami
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Abstract

Mating behavior and the processes of insemination and sperm transfer in the ground beetle Carabus insulicola were analyzed. C. insulicola has elaborate genitalia, in which the strongly sclerotized male copulatory piece is inserted into the female vaginal appendix in copula. During mating, I observed pre-copulatory struggles of males and females, as well as delays in ejaculation, suggesting the presence of intersexual conflicts. Insemination was achieved with a spermatophore, which strongly adhered to the openings of the spermatheca, common oviduct, and vaginal appendix. The spermatophore dissolved after copulation, and sperm were transferred into the spermatheca within three hours after copulation. Sperm bundles were contained within the testes and spermatophores, but free spermatozoa were found in the spermatheca.

Yasuoki Takami "Mating Behavior, Insemination and Sperm Transfer in the Ground Beetle Carabus insulicola," Zoological Science 19(9), 1067-1073, (1 September 2002). https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.19.1067
Received: 10 April 2002; Accepted: 1 June 2002; Published: 1 September 2002
KEYWORDS
Carabidae
genitalia
sexual selection
sperm bundle
spermatophore
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