{"title":"Variation in food-maximizing behaviour as a function of context, breed, and individual characteristics: A study of Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherd Dogs.","authors":"Amin Azadian, Alexandra Protopopova","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105387","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105387","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Food motivation is widely recognized as a fundamental factor shaping domestic dog behaviour. However, it remains unclear whether different behavioural experimental paradigms capture distinct motivational components, and whether factors known to shape dogs' food motivation differentially contribute to performance across these measures. We assessed Labrador Retrievers (n = 24) and German Shepherd Dogs (n = 24), breeds that are commonly characterized as highly food and toy responsive, respectively, across two food-maximizing behavioural paradigms: a progressive ratio (PR) task measuring effort expenditure and an uncertainty-based probabilistic choice task quantifying win-stay and lose-shift (WSLS) strategies. Using mixed-effects models, we found that Labradors reached significantly higher PR breakpoints than German Shepherd Dogs, with this difference persisting regardless of training level. Furthermore, age had a breed-dependent effect on PR performance, such that increasing age was associated with lower PR breakpoints particularly in Labradors. In the WSLS task, breed differences emerged only through interactions with questionnaire-based measures of food motivation: higher scores predicted increased win-stay and reduced lose-shift tendencies specifically in Labradors, consistent with sustained motivation to persist with a previously chosen option despite occasional nonreward. Behavioural characteristics also shaped outcome-dependent strategies, as higher owner-rated frustration was linked to increased switching tendency, particularly after rewarded trials. Together, these results demonstrate that different behavioural measures likely capture distinct dimensions of food motivation and predictors of food-maximizing behavioural tendencies are breed-dependent. A multi-measure approach is therefore essential for comprehensively evaluating how motivation translates into behaviour across diverse food-related contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":" ","pages":"105387"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147855907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fernanda Bordignon Luiza, Guilherme Lauro Hoffmanna, Maria Helena Leite Hunzikera
{"title":"Self-imposed time-out by rats.","authors":"Fernanda Bordignon Luiza, Guilherme Lauro Hoffmanna, Maria Helena Leite Hunzikera","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105386","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105386","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Self-imposed time-out (TO) is a response that temporarily suspends a positive reinforcement schedule while altering associated environmental stimuli. This study tested competing hypotheses: whether TO functions as escape from the reinforcement contingency (Azrin, 1961) or is positively reinforced by stimulus changes (Appel, 1963). Sixteen male Wistar rats were divided into three groups and exposed to a two-lever chamber. Lever 1 (L1) delivered water under escalating fixed-ratio (FR) schedules (FR 5 to FR 40). Lever 2 (L2) produced (a) TO: Suspended L1 reinforcement and toggled chamber lighting; (b) EC: Changed lighting without suspending reinforcement; (c) CO: No consequences. A second L2 press restored original conditions for TO/EC groups. Results showed TO rats pressed L2 most frequently, with rates increasing alongside FR values. TO responses peaked immediately post-reinforcement, and L1 pressing nearly ceased during TO periods. Reinforcement rates were similar across all groups. EC rats showed minimal L2 use, undifferentiated by lighting, while CO rats rarely pressed L2. These findings strongly support Azrin's escape hypothesis, indicating that TO is maintained by negative reinforcement from aversive aspects of FR schedules. The results challenge traditional dichotomies between aversive and appetitive control, highlighting how positive reinforcement contingencies can acquire aversive properties that drive escape behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":" ","pages":"105386"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Are you talking to me? Captive Asian elephants react to voice familiarity and Elephant-Directed speech.","authors":"Annaëlle Surreault-Châble, Aurélie Verjat, Gérard Leboucher","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105389","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105389","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent studies on the socio-cognitive abilities of animals, including elephants, have highlighted their aptitude to perceive and respond to human cues, particularly in captive settings. These abilities are crucial for fostering positive interspecies relationships and improving animal welfare in zoos. Previous research has shown that Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar humans through various sensory cues, such as visual and olfactory signals. Additionally, familiarity with caregivers reduces elephants' stress and has been linked to more cooperative behaviour and better task performance, highlighting its importance for the management and welfare of animals under human care. Yet the role of vocal communication in shaping these effects remains poorly understood, and less is known about how the type of speech caregivers use might affect elephants' behaviour. In the present study, we investigated how captive Asian elephants react to keepers' voices, focusing on the effects of voice familiarity, speech type and the interaction between the two variables on their behavioural response. We played recorded stimuli of familiar and unfamiliar voices speaking in either Elephant-Directed Speech (EDS), characterised by a high pitch and varied intonation, or Adult-Directed Speech (ADS), which does not present these acoustic characteristics. Our data show that vocal stimuli of any kind increased elephant arousal. Moreover, the elephants turned their bodies towards the doors used by the keepers - which we interpreted as behaviour indicative of a search for the keeper when listening to EDS compared to ADS, or when the voice was uttered by a familiar rather than an unfamiliar keeper. However, no significant differences were found for the interaction between the speech type and familiarity for the duration of any behaviour analysed. Additionally, elephants engaged in aggressive displays more rapidly in response to ADS than to EDS, and initiated search-for-keeper behaviour significantly faster when exposed to EDS from a familiar keeper compared to EDS from an unfamiliar keeper. Overall, our results suggest that elephants can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar voices and between two types of speech register with different acoustic features and therefore respond differently. Our work opens a window on the cognitive skills of the elephants.</p>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":" ","pages":"105389"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Behavioural ProcessesPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105345
Weisheng Zhao , Ippei Maruyama , Tohru Taniuchi
{"title":"Evidence of conditioned food aversion in Japanese fire-bellied newts (Cynops pyrrhogaster)","authors":"Weisheng Zhao , Ippei Maruyama , Tohru Taniuchi","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105345","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105345","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Paradis and Cabanac (2004) reported that amphibians, such as toads and newts, do not exhibit a decrease in consumption of a food conditioned stimulus (CS) after being paired with an injection of LiCl. Although they described the food CS as completely novel to the animals, we hypothesized that prior experience with other foods may have generalized to the food CS, leading to stimulus generalization of latent inhibition and impairing the acquisition of a conditioned food aversion. Our aim was to examine conditioned food aversion in Japanese fire-bellied newts (<em>Cynops pyrrhogaster</em>) using a food CS that was expected to be novel in flavor to the subjects. We used <em>kamaboko</em>, a Japanese processed food made from pureed fish with added salt and other ingredients. Newts in the experimental groups received an injection of either 190 mg/kg or 285 mg/kg of 0.15 M LiCl immediately after presentation of the food CS, while the control group received an injection of the same dose of saline. Compared to the control group, both experimental groups exhibited a significant reduction in consumption of the food CS during the test. In contrast, in an additional test conducted on the day following the CS presentation test, no significant differences were found among the groups in their consumption of the familiar food pellets that they had been consuming prior to the experiment. These results suggest that Japanese fire-bellied newts can acquire a conditioned food aversion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 105345"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146177664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Behavioural ProcessesPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105344
Hidemi Torigoe, Shintaro Ishizuka
{"title":"Age and sex differences in behavioural responses of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) towards snakes","authors":"Hidemi Torigoe, Shintaro Ishizuka","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Avoiding snake predation is essential for the survival of various animal species in the wild. Primates are occasionally predated by snakes, and their anti-predator strategies towards snakes can be better understood by field experiments that investigate behavioural responses to snakes. This study examined such behavioural responses of free-ranging Japanese macaques (<em>Macaca fuscata</em>) on Shodoshima Island. Three snake models (colored black, green, and yellow mottled) were presented to the subjects. Fleeing, alarm calls, looking, and latency of first response were recorded as behavioural responses. We analysed the effects of age and sex of the subject, as well as the effect of snake model on the frequency of each behaviour. Behavioural data were collected from 50 trials. Although the frequency of fleeing was higher in adult females than in adult males, such sex differences were not marked in juveniles. These results might be caused by sex role differences in primates, wherein males often display anti-predator behaviours for the protection of females and/or their offspring, whereas females prioritise protecting themselves and their offspring. Juveniles looked longer at the snake model than adults did, suggesting that juveniles acquire predator knowledge via observation. Age and sex differences were not observed in the frequency of alarm calls and latency of first response. None of the four behaviour measures was influenced by the snake model. This study highlights the age and sex differences in behavioural responses to snakes in non-human primates, contributing to a better understanding of anti-snake strategies in mammals and complex primate–snake relationships.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105344"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146099850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Behavioural ProcessesPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-19DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105342
David Sánchez-Domene , Alba Navarro Lozano , Alexandre Vidotto Barboza Lima , Camila Nomura Pereira Boscolo , Amanda Huga Magrini , Eduardo Alves de Almeida
{"title":"First or best? Contrasting approaches reveal different outcomes in tadpole (Hypsiboas lundii) escape performance under acute chlorpyrifos exposure","authors":"David Sánchez-Domene , Alba Navarro Lozano , Alexandre Vidotto Barboza Lima , Camila Nomura Pereira Boscolo , Amanda Huga Magrini , Eduardo Alves de Almeida","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105342","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105342","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Escape swimming performance tests are widely used to assess how aquatic organisms respond to environmental stressors. Two analytical approaches are commonly applied: the first response (reaction to the initial simulated predation attempt) and the best response (the highest performance among successive attempts). However, whether these approaches lead to convergent or divergent conclusions remains unclear. In this study, <em>Hypsiboas lundii</em> tadpoles were exposed for 48 h to two environmentally relevant concentrations of the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF; 0.6 and 1.0 μg L⁻¹). Escape performance (first and best responses) and enzymatic biomarkers (acetylcholinesterase, AChE; and carboxylesterase, CbE) were assessed in body and tail tissues. AChE activity remained unchanged, whereas CbE activity increased significantly in the body of tadpoles at the highest CPF concentration. Reduced escape performance was therefore attributed to non-cholinergic, bioenergetic mechanisms. Best response analysis revealed significant reductions in escape distance, burst speed, and escape time at the higher CPF concentration, whereas first response analysis detected no effects. Our findings demonstrate that the two analytical approaches can yield contrasting conclusions, underscoring the importance of methodological choices in behavioral ecotoxicology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105342"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146017348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Behavioural ProcessesPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105343
Connor T. Lambert , Glenna N. Cupp , Sarah A. Kane , Andrea C. Medrano , Paola A. Prada-Tiedemann , Edgar O. Aviles-Rosa , Nathaniel J. Hall
{"title":"Comparing and validating different methods for olfactory threshold measurement in dogs","authors":"Connor T. Lambert , Glenna N. Cupp , Sarah A. Kane , Andrea C. Medrano , Paola A. Prada-Tiedemann , Edgar O. Aviles-Rosa , Nathaniel J. Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105343","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105343","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sensory thresholds- the limits at which an organism can detect the presence of a given stimulus- can provide insight into the evolution of sensory abilities and the relative salience of different stimuli to a species. Understanding dog olfactory thresholds can further benefit the training of detection dogs by identifying odors that are salient and detectable. Current methods to measure olfactory thresholds vary widely and often lack controls or external validation. We aimed to (a) compare three commonly used procedures to measure olfactory thresholds in dogs, (b) evaluate how cognitive fatigue and/or sensory adaptation could be potential confounds, and (c) validate threshold methods by comparing them to a reference odor and empirical measurements of our odor delivery system. We first compared three differing threshold measurement methods using 1-bromooctane, a common training odorant for detection dogs: (1) random presentation of different concentrations; (2) a blocked descending procedure where an initial odor concentration is presented in a block of 10 trials with decreasing half-log concentrations presented in subsequent blocks until dogs reach chance performance; and (3) the descending staircase procedure. We found that a blocked procedure provided the lowest threshold values, with a mean dog threshold for 1-bromooctane equivalent to a ∼10<sup>−5</sup> dilution in mineral oil. Control tests indicated our findings were not driven by fatigue or sensory adaptation. We also found that the blocked procedure generated olfactory thresholds for amyl acetate- a volatile with multiple published olfactory thresholds for dogs- at 129 ppt, at the lower range of prior work, validating the descending block approach. Instrumental analysis found that our olfactometer delivered odor in decreasing concentrations as predicted. We identified a valid method for assessing dog olfactory thresholds that can guide future research on this topic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105343"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146117540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Behavioural ProcessesPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105340
Daniela Lúcio Santana , Leandro Bacci , Paulo Fellipe Cristaldo , Ana Paula Albano Araújo
{"title":"Low mobility and similar odors result in peaceful interspecific encounters in termites","authors":"Daniela Lúcio Santana , Leandro Bacci , Paulo Fellipe Cristaldo , Ana Paula Albano Araújo","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105340","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105340","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cohabitation of eusocial insects in nests may involve different strategies that enable stable coexistence. The maintenance of obligatory inquilinism in termites has been attributed to the host species (<em>Constrictotermes</em> sp.) having a low perception of the inquiline (<em>Inquilinitermes microcerus</em>) due to the latter’s limited mobility and peaceful nature. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that aggressiveness in interspecific encounters is reduced when: (i) one of the species involved has low mobility, and/or (ii) non-nestmate individuals share similar body extracts. We conducted manipulative bioassays to evaluate the proportion of attacks between the host species and target individuals, including both the inquiline and a non-inquiline species (<em>Nasutitermes corniger</em>). The experimental treatments involved manipulating the mobility (immovable or free) and watery body extracts of the target species, as well as varying the host castes. Host and treated target individuals were placed in an arena, and we recorded the time elapsed until the first attack. Hosts and inquilines exhibited low levels of aggression towards each other. The host’s attacks on the inquiline were not influenced by odor or mobility but varied among castes, with greater aggressiveness observed in the presence of host workers. In contrast, the proportion of attacks by the host on non-inquilines was higher when the non-inquiline was free and retained its own odor, followed by a neutral odor, the odor of the inquiline, or that of the host. Our results suggest that low mobility and the acquisition of similar odors can reduce interspecific aggression. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying interactions between termites and other eusocial species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105340"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Behavioural ProcessesPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105331
Martín Rubén Fernández , Lucas Touriño , Lucas Cuenya , Valeria Teresa Pedrón , Matías Serafini
{"title":"Enhancement of the hedonic value of an expected reinforcer following prior frustration: An animal model for studying binge-like episodes","authors":"Martín Rubén Fernández , Lucas Touriño , Lucas Cuenya , Valeria Teresa Pedrón , Matías Serafini","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105331","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Reward delay–induced frustration leads to increased intake upon re-encounter and an enhanced motivational state for the omitted reinforcer. This phenomenon may be explained by changes in the palatability of the reinforcer (<em>liking</em>) or its expected value (<em>wanting</em>).</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To evaluate whether increased intake following frustration events leads to alterations in <em>liking</em>.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were food-restricted to 83 % of their <em>ad libitum</em> weight. Dependent variables included sucrose solution intake (ml), burst duration, and number of bursts. In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to either a 4 % or 32 % sucrose solution over five 5-minute trials. Experiment 2 included three groups, all exposed to a 32 % sucrose solution over five 5-minute trials. On day six, the Non-Delay group received immediate access to the 32 % solution, whereas the Delay-2 and Delay-10 groups were required to wait 2 or 10 min, respectively. On day seven, all groups accessed the 32 % solution without delay. This cycle — one trial with delay followed by one without delay — was repeated five times.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In Experiment 1, the 32 % condition showed higher intake and longer burst duration than the 4 % group. In Experiment 2, Delay-10 and Delay-2 animals exhibited higher intake and burst duration than Non-Delay animals.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Increased intake following frustration events appears to involve an enhancement of the hedonic component, suggesting that elevated consumption may be driven by increased <em>liking</em>. Furthermore, this effect was more pronounced in animals exposed to higher levels of frustration (10-minute delay).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105331"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145942369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Behavioural ProcessesPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105325
Amir Tarizadeh, Marjan Seiedy
{"title":"The front legs of Sepsis flies (Diptera: Sepsidae) are stimulation devices","authors":"Amir Tarizadeh, Marjan Seiedy","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105325","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105325","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Male genital and non-genital structures that are specialized to contact the female during copulation have diverged rapidly in many animal taxa. Three hypotheses that provide different explanations for this trend are reproductive isolation, sexual conflict, and female choice. We tested these hypotheses in sepsid flies, which have been considered case studies of sexual conflict, as males grasp and hold the females’ wings with their species-specific front legs before and during mating, and females seem to actively resist this hold. The reproductive isolation and the sexual conflict hypotheses predict that the species-specific modifications of the male’s front legs function as devices to mechanically improve their hold on the female’s wings. The female choice hypothesis predicts that the male front legs function as stimulatory courtship devices. We tested these predictions by observing mating interactions, morphological contact, and the distribution of female sense organs in two species, <em>Sepsis barbata</em> and <em>S. thoracica</em>. Male front legs performed rhythmic, stereotypic, and species-specific movements, providing tactile stimulation of zones of the female wing that contained numerous sense organs but not improving their mechanical grip. We conclude that male front legs are stimulation devices rather than species-specific mechanical clamps, supporting the female choice hypothesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105325"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145942432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}