Make it simple: mating behaviour ofEuphydryas aurinia provincialis(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Abstract

Courtship in butterflies can vary among species, from simple to elaborate displays, which are thought to promote conspecific mating and drive a female, at first unreceptive, to eventually mate. In this paper, we studied the courtship behaviour of a population of E. aurinia provincialis (Nymphalidae) of the Italian region Latium, finding clear differences in acceptance/refusal of females and in consequent departure/persistence of males. Despite the presence of a period of female unreceptivity after eclosion, virgin females usually do not show resistance, and accept to mate after a simple courtship. Once males meet a female, they immediately try to copulate clasping female genitalia, and proceed in mating performing long copulations. They also secrete a mating plug to prevent subsequent matings. On the contrary, already-mated females can strongly reject any approaching male and they always display Wide Wing fluttering, which is a behavioural pattern usually followed by male departure. In case of persistent males, prolonged and energy demanding sexual interactions, as Carrousels, can occur, with rare final copulation. Here, we analyse the effects of female refusal on male sexual behaviour and discuss potential selective pressures that might be acting on such behavioural traits.

Within-habitat vegetation structure and adult activity patterns of the declining butterfly Euphydryas aurinia

“…Such a setting allows patrolling males to spot freshly hatched virgin females and at the same time, the unmated females to approach perching males. The latter consideration may deserve further attention, because Pinzari et al (2019) observed that a fraction of females of Euphydryas aurinia provincials (Boisduval, 1828) mate a few days after emergence. The location of perches away from host plants indicates that perching males unlikely harass females seeking for oviposition, a situation described for L. hippothoe by Turlure and Van Dyck (2009), but does not exclude potential harassment of females by patrolling males.…”

To harass or to respect: the economy of male persistence despite female refusal in a damselfly with scramble mate competition

“…Similarly, in the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphyas aurinia, unreceptive females display a refusal signal with wide wing fluttering and wing fanning, an indication of chemical signaling. Males typically respect this signal; those that persist rarely achieve mating (Pinzari et al, 2019). In the small copper butterfly Lycaeas phlaeas daimio whose females mate only once in their life, unreceptive females display wing closing as a refusal signal.…”

Associations between the larval-pupal parasitoids Erycia furibunda and E. festinans (Diptera: Tachinidae) and respectively, the sympatric and syntopic butterflies Euphydryas aurinia provincialis and Melitaea cinxia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

“…In this framework, in the context of an ongoing survey of the Lepidoptera fauna in Italy (Pinzari et al, 2010(Pinzari et al, , 2018a(Pinzari et al, , 2018b(Pinzari et al, , 2019aPinzari & Sbordoni, 2013;Pinzari, 2016a;Pinzari & Pinzari, 2019a, 2019b, 2019c, we extensively investigated many aspects of biology of a population of E. aurinia provincialis living in Central Italy: larval host plants preference, predators, adult population dynamics, mating behaviour and parasitoids (Pinzari, 2016b(Pinzari, , 2019Pinzari et al, 2016Pinzari et al, , 2017Pinzari et al, , 2019aPinzari et al, , 2019b.…”