On the discovery of a male morph with a novelty alternative mating tactic in the neotropical cricket Macroanaxipha macilenta Orthoptera: Gryllidae

• Published in: Journal of ethology Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 3 - 11
• Main Authors: Elias-Quevedo, Anahi, Cueva del Castillo, Raúl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animal Ecology; Animal reproduction; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Copulation; Evolutionary Biology; Females; Genitalia; Genotype & phenotype; Life Sciences; Males; Mating behavior; Phenotypes; Sexual dimorphism; Zoology; Cricket; Mating behavior; Alternative mating tactics; Orthoptera
• ISSN: 0289-0771; 1439-5444
• DOI: 10.1007/s10164-019-00614-5

Several animal taxa exhibit discrete male phenotypes, which are related to alternative mating tactics. In this study, we describe a new male phenotype and mating behavior of the cricket species Macroanaxipha macilenta . The most common male phenotype shows male-biased sexual size dimorphism, with wider forewings than those of the new male phenotype. Wide-forewing males produce longer and louder calling songs than narrow-forewing males, and after attracting a female, the wide-forewing male transfers a spermatophore during a 21-s copulation. On the other hand, narrow-forewing males occur at a low frequency in the population (< 20%), produce short whisper calls, and copulate twice with the female. In each copulation, the narrow-forewing male transfers one spermatophore. The first one is removed and eaten by the female shortly after copulation. Then, if the female stays near the male, they copulate again, and a second spermatophore is transferred to the females’ genitalia. Mating duration in narrow-forewing males can last up to 12 min. Both male morphs may represent alternative mating tactics.