Prey evolve antipredator strategies against multiple enemies in nature. We examined how a prey species adopts different predation avoidance tactics against pursuit or sit‐and‐wait predators. As prey, we used three strains of Tribolium beetles artificially selected for short (short strain) or long (long strain) duration of death feigning, and a stock culture (base population). Death feigning is known to be effective for evading a jumping spider in the case of the long strains, while the present study showed that the long‐strain beetles used freezing against a sit‐and‐wait type predator, Amphibolus venator, in this study. The short‐ strain beetles were more easily oriented toward predators. The time to predation was also shorter in the short strains compared to the long strains. The results showed that, as prey, the short strains displayed the same behavior, escaping, against both types of predators. Traditionally, death feigning has been thought to be the last resort in a series of antipredator avoidance behaviors. However, our results showed that freezing and death feigning were not parts of a series of behaviors, but independent strategies against different predators, at least for long‐strain beetles. We also examined the relationship between a predator's starvation level and its predatory behavior. In addition, the orientation behavior toward and predation rate on the prey were observed to determine how often the predatory insect attacked the beetles.

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is defined as small, random deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry in a morphological trait. It has sometimes been used as an indicator of male quality because it affects male mating success. In the Japanese scorpionfly, Panorpa japonica, males are known to use two mating tactics, donation of nuptial gifts and forced mating. In P. japonica, low FA males are more likely to win a competition with another male, and females prefer low FA male sex pheromones.However, no studies have been conducted on the effect of FA on the mating tactics adopted by males. In the present study, we first observed the mating behaviors of P. japonica and classified these into three patterns: 1) nuptial gifting, 2) forced mating, and 3) feeding mating. Second, we investigated the relationships between mating tactics and male traits, including body size, FA, and weapon size. The results showed a positive correlation between absolute FA and mating duration only in the case of feeding mating. We discuss the reasons why this significant correlation was found in P. japonica.

Death feigning (or tonic immobility) is an effective antipredator strategy. However, prolonged immobility on the ground increases the risk of being parasitized or eaten by predators, and thus, insects must rouse themselves when appropriate stimulation is provided. Very few studies on the effect of stimulus intensity on arousal from death feigning have been conducted. A previous study using Tribolium castaneum showed an existing threshold for the intensity of the stimulus that causes arousal from death feigning. Whether there are differences between species in the threshold for arousal is an interesting question. In the present study, we therefore compared the effect of stimulus strength on arousal from death feigning in two closely related species, namely, T. confusum and T. freemani, which are established strains that have been artificially selected for longer duration of death feigning. Also, part of the study was to determine whether there was a positive association between intensity of stimulus needed to rouse and the duration of death feigning. We discuss why there is a difference in the strength of the stimulus needed for arousal from death feigning among Tribolium species, for which we included the data for T. castaneum from a previous study.

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