The editorial committee of the Journal of Ethology awards a prize for the best paper published in the journal, the Editor’s Choice Award, every year. In addition, the committee selects several outstanding papers as Editor’s Choice articles. I am very pleased to announce the award winner and the list of the Editor’s Choice articles for 2021.

Editor's Choice Award

Iwanami et al. (2021) Defensive spray by a semiaquatic osmylid larva (Insecta: Neuroptera) for both aquatic and terrestrial predators (Volume 39, Issue 3, pp 369–377).

The authors investigated whether the spraying of chemical secretions by the larvae of Osmylus hyalinatul, a semiaquatic Neopteran insect, serves to deter predators. They determined that both terrestrial and aquatic predators find it difficult to prey on the osmylid larvae when they are sprayed with chemicals from the latter’s anal opening. The editorial committee praised the study for its focus on interesting phenomena occurring at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and for its value in connection with natural history. The committee also recognized that the study’s conclusions were supported by solid methodologies.

Editor's Choice Articles

Yukio Yasui and Yuto Yamamoto (2021) An empirical test of bet-hedging polyandry hypothesis in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. (Volume 39, Issue 3, pp 329–342).

Ryo Ishihara and Takahisa Miyatake (2021) Wing-waving behaviors are used for conspecific display in the Japanese scorpionfly, Panorpa japonica. (Volume 39, Issue 3, pp 267–274).

Austin N. Montero-Quintana et al. (2021) Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) predatory flexible feeding behaviors on schooling fish. (Volume 39, Issue 3, pp 399–410).

Beatriz Diaz Pauli and Kai Lindström (2021) Trade-off between mate choice speed and decision accuracy under mating competition in female sand gobies. (Volume 39, Issue 1, pp 55–64).

Ayami Sekizawa et al. (2021) Another usage of autotomized penis. (Volume 39, Issue 3, pp 319–328).

Zhonghua Tang and Shi-Jian Fu (2021) Effects of habitat conditions on the boldness and sociability of wild-caught fish (Zacco platypus) along a river. (Volume 39, Issue 3, pp 379–391).

Open Access

These papers have now been made open access by the support from the Japan Ethological Society funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 18HP2005. I hope these papers will be read by many colleagues and will contribute to future studies of animal behavior.