FORREST, T.G.; University of North Carolina at Asheville: Behavioral ecology of a non-flashing firefly

During a two-season study of a Phausis inaccensa population, I tracked the mating history, temporal distribution and spatial distribution of more than 150 females. Phausis inaccensa exhibits the ‘primitive’ condition in firefly communication systems. Flightless larviform females emerge from burrows shortly after sunset and glow for up to two hours or until they are mated. Flying males are non-luminescent and scramble to mate with advertising females. Females typically mate only once. Operational sex ratios varied nightly and had a significant influence on the probability that females would attract mates. Single males arrived at females for about 80% of the pairings and these copulations lasted about 8 minutes. When multiple males arrived at a female, copulating males remained with the female and mating duration increased significantly. I will discuss the relationship between temporal/spatial distributions of males and females and the selective maintenance of this communicative system where females take an active role in signaling.