A comparison of mate guarding among five syntopic tiger beetle species from peninsular India (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

Male tiger beetles continue to ride in amplexus on the backs of females after copulation. In scrub forest of peninsular India, the duration of this post-copulatory behavior was significantly different among five syntopic, congeneric species. Generally, males were present in the mating area at a higher proportion than females, and males remained mounted on females significantly longer when another male was present than when pairs were alone. Results are consistent with this amplexus being mate guarding. Species differences in duration of female stay in the mating area after copulation and to a lesser degree operational sex ratios predicted amplexus duration for three of the species. The distance between mating area and oviposition site predicted the amplexus duration of the final two species. Probability of disruption by unmated males and frequency of male displacement during mating had little or no relation to any of the species differences in amplexus duration. -from Authors