Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T02:29:42.241Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

THE FEEDING AND MATING BEHAVIOUR OF THE SPECIALIZED EMPIDINAE (DIPTERA); OBSERVATIONS ON FOUR SPECIES OF RHAMPHOMYIA IN THE HIGH ARCTIC AND A GENERAL DISCUSSION1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

J. A. Downes
J. A. Downes
Affiliation:
Entomology Research Institute, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Observations on the feeding and mating behaviour of Rhamphomyia spp. in the high arctic are reported. In R. nigrita Zetterstedt the males catch their prey especially in the male swarms of mosquitoes, etc., and carry it to their specific swarming (mating) site, a station controlled by a typical visual marker. In the swarm the male responds to insects hovering above, by rising to within a few inches and then holding a steady distance for some moments. The upper insect, if a male, moves away; if a female, pairing soon takes place, the prey is transferred, and the female feeds on it during mating. Apparently the female obtains insect food in no other way. The prey is rather small, and insufficient for the completion of one ovarian cycle; and the swarming flight, with mating and prey transfer, occurs repeatedly.In R. ursinella Melander hunting and mating are accomplished on the ground. The prey is very small and mating is frequent. The species is virtually non-flying, and the specialized form of the male eye, on which mating in flight depends, is considerably reduced. Similar adaptations occur in other arctic Diptera. R. nigrita, in contrast, maintains fully the normal dependence on sustained flight.The general structure of mating behaviour in the specialized Empidinae (Rhamphomyia, Empis, Hilara) is discussed. As in many Empididae, and other Diptera, mating takes place at an assembly station controlled by a visually recognized swarm marker, and the response to the female is mediated by the large ommatidia of the upper part of the male eye. The "holding flight" however signifies an interposed courtship, or display of prey by the male to the female. In most species only the male captures prey (perhaps without feeding on it himself); the female does not hunt and obtains insect food only by transfer at mating. Courtship with transfer becomes a firmly established behavioural element, and persists even in species which use objects of no value as food (ritualization of prey).The original significance of the prey, on which its role as sign stimulus in mating is based, is its significance as food required by the female for ovarian maturation. When the prey is small in relation to the requirements of the female, the mating process, including the courtship and prey transfer, is repeated (ritualized) so as to provide the female with sufficient food. It is suggested that this ritualization would develop easily once insect prey had become established as the sign stimulus for mating; and could lead on to the sex differences in habits of hunting and feeding.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 102 , Issue 7 , July 1970 , pp. 769 - 791
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1970

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Clements, A. N. 1963. The physiology of mosquitoes. Pergamon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Corbet, P. S. 1964. Observations on the swarming and mating of mosquitoes in Uganda. Proc. R. ent. Soc. Lond., Ser. A 39: 15–22.Google Scholar
Downes, J. A. 1958. The feeding habits of biting flies and their significance in classification. A. Rev. Ent. 3: 249–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Downes, J. A. 1962. What is an arctic insect? Can. Ent. 94: 143–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Downes, J. A. 1964. Arctic insects and their environment. Can. Ent. 96: 279–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Downes, J. A. 1965. Adaptations of insects in the arctic. A. Rev. Ent. 10: 257–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Downes, J. A. 1969. The swarming and mating flight of Diptera. A. Rev. Ent. 14: 271–298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Downes, J. A., and Smith, S. M.. 1969. New or little known feeding habits in Empididae (Diptera). Can. Ent. 101: 404–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, F. W. 1920. Scent organs (?) in female midges of the Palpomyia group. Ann. Mag. nut. Hist. 6: 365–368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engel, E. O., and Frey, R.. 1956. Empididae in Lindner, E. (ed.), Die Fliegen der palaearctischen Region, 4 (4): 1–639. Schweizerbart, Stuttgart.Google Scholar
Frey, R. 1949. Neue palaearktische Rhamphomyia-Arten nebst Bestimmungstabelle der Rhamphomyia-Subgenera. Notul. ent. 29: 91–119.Google Scholar
Frohne, W. C. 1959. Predation of dance flies upon mosquitoes in Alaska, with special reference to swarming. Mosquito News 19: 7–11.Google Scholar
Gruhl, K. 1924. Paarungsgewohnheiten der Dipteren. Z. wiss. Zool. 122: 205–280.Google Scholar
Gruhl, K. 1927. Neue Beiträge zum Problem der Lufttänze. Z. Ent. 15: 1–13.Google Scholar
Gruhl, K. 1955. Neue Beobachtungen an Schwarm- und Tanzgesellschaften der Dipteren. Dt. ent. Z., N.F. 2: 332–353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gruhl, K. 1959. Dipterenstudien im Siebengebirge. Decheniana 7: 103–118.Google Scholar
Gruhl, K. 1962. Hilara sartor Becker, die Fliege mit dem Schleirchen, und ihr Tanz (Diptera). Mitt. dt. ent. Ges. 21: 43–47.Google Scholar
Gruhl, K. 1963. Sind Tanze von Weibchen bei Empis und Rhamphomyia (Diptera) an gewisse Sondermerkmale gebunden? Mitt. dt. ent. Ges. 22: 88–96.Google Scholar
Gruhl, K. 1964. Schwärmen und Tanzen bei Pararhamphomyia anfractuosa Bezzi (Empididae. Diptera). Mitt. dt. ent. Ges. 23: 10–15.Google Scholar
Hamm, A. H. 1908. Observations on Empis livida L. Entomologist's mon. Mag. 44: 181–184.Google Scholar
Hamm, A. H. 1909. Further observations on the Empinae. Entomologist's mon. Mag. 45: 132–134.Google Scholar
Hamm, A. H. 1928. On the epigamic behaviour of Hilara maura Fab. and two allied species. Proc. R. Soc., B 102: 334–338.Google Scholar
Hamm, A. H. 1933. The epigamic behaviour and courtship of three species of Empididae. Entomologist's mon. Mag. 69: 113–117.Google Scholar
Henriksen, K. L. 1939. A revised index of the insects of Grønland. Meddr Grønland 119(10), 119 pp.Google Scholar
Howlett, M. 1907. A note on the coupling of Empis borealis. Entomologist's mon. Mag. 43: 229–232.Google Scholar
Imms, A. D. 1947. Insect natural history. Collins, London.Google Scholar
Kessel, E. L. 1955. The mating activities of balloon flies. Syst. Zool. 4: 997–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laurence, B. R. 1955. The Empididae (Diptera) of a Yorkshire stream. Entomologist's mon. Mag. 91: 220–224.Google Scholar
Malloch, J. R. 1919. Diptera (excluding the Tipulidae and Culicidae). Rep. Can. Arctic Exped. 1913–1918. III, C: 34–90.Google Scholar
McAlpine, J. R. 1965. Observations on anthophilous Diptera at Lake Hazen, Ellesmere Island. Can. Fld Nat. 79: 247–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melander, A. L. 1927. Diptera. Fam. Empididae. Genera Insectorum, Fasc. 185. Wytsman, P. (ed.). Desmets–Verteneuil, Bruxelles.Google Scholar
Oliver, D. R. 1963. Entomological studies in the Lake Hazen area, Ellesmere Island, including lists of species of Arachnida, Collembola and Insects. Arctic 16: 175–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterson, B. V., and Davies, D. M.. 1960. Observations on some insect predators of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) of Algonquin Park, Ontario. Can. J. Zool. 38: 9–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poulton, E. B. 1907. Predaceous insects and their prey. Trans. R. ent. SOC. Lond. 1906: 323–409.Google Scholar
Poulton, E. B. 1913. Empidae and their prey in relation to courtship. Entomologist's mon. Mag. 49: 177–180.Google Scholar
Powell, J. A. 1964. Observations on flight behaviour and prey of the dance fly, Rhamphomyia curvipes Coquillet. Wasmann J. Biol. 22: 311–321.Google Scholar
Richards, O. W. 1927. Sexual selection and allied problems in the insects. Biol. Rev. Cambridge phil. Soc. 2: 298–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tuomikoski, R. 1939. Beobachtungen über das Schwärmen und die Kopulation einiger Empididen. Ann. ent. fenn. 5: 1–30.Google Scholar
Tuomikoski, R. 1952. Ueber die Nahrung der Empididen-Imagines in Finnland. Ann. ent. fenn. 18: 170–181.Google Scholar