The reproductive behavior of Argia vivida Hagen: an example of a female-control mating system (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae)

At Halcyon Hotsprings in British Columbia, Canada, male A. vivida wait for females in the morning at sunlit basking sites on the forest floor, 10-15 m from water. Copulations last for an average of about 40 min, after which the pair remains in tandem for 2-3 hr before arriving at the oviposition site. This long copulation plus the latent period constitute "pre-oviposition guarding", a tactic that serves to keep females from other males until conditions at the water are suitable for oviposition. Males that are unable to capture mates in this way, arrive at the water at about the same time as the tandem pairs. They may then be able to copulate with a female who has escaped or is released from tandem. These afternoon copulations last for about 10 minutes and oviposition starts almost immediately afterwards. — Male A. vivida cannot control females’ access to oviposition sites by controlling the sites themselves, because oviposition sites are too numerous and too widely dispersed, and males are not able to fly well enough to control them. Instead of resource-control, male A. vivida practice female-control, especially away from the water in the morning when the majority of matings occur. While this is the first study to view zygopteran mating behavior in this way, the strategy is probably widespread among zygopterans.