Summary
The mating system of the winter cherry bug,Acanthocoris sordidus, was analyzed precisely. As a result, it was found that male adults of this species establish a small territory for mating on the stem of host plant which harbors females. These males abandoned their territories soon after the disappearance of monopolized females. Thus it was confirned that the cue for the territorial establishment of males is the presence of females per se on the host plant. Moreover, most aggregations of adults observed on the host plant contained only a single male. This one-male unit in the mating was named a harem. Harem holding males were usually big in body-size and had a high chance of copulations. The defence behaviors of harem holding males, the mating disparity among males, and the oviposition habit of females in relation to the mating system, were observed. The results obtained were discussed in relation to the sexual selection theories.
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Fujisaki, K. Studies on the mating system of the winter cherry bug, Acanthocoris sordidus Thunberg (Heteroptera: Coreidae) II. Harem defence polygyny. Res Popul Ecol 23, 262–279 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02515630
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02515630