CRATSLEY, CK; Fitchburg State College: Flash signals, nuptial gifts and precopulatory mate choice in Photinus fireflies

Firefly flash behavior often involves courtship dialogs of male flashes and female flash responses. Males rely on female responses to locate potential mates. During mating males transfer a protein rich spermatophore that the female digests internally and uses to provision her eggs. In Photinus ignitus fireflies females preferentially respond to longer duration male flashes and flash duration predicts spermatophore mass in the first half of the mating season. The potential for females to exhibit mate choice through female preference for a trait that indicates male quality depends on the operational sex ratio (OSR), the honesty of the indicator trait, variance in male quality, the costs and benefits of mating, and male mating behavior. Behavioral observations in the lab and in the field demonstrate that seasonal changes in OSR, male spermatophore mass, female condition and male choice all may influence the strength of sexual selection on male flash duration in P. ignitus fireflies.