Reproductive behavior of Erythrodiplax abjecta (Rambur, 1842) from Andean Mountains

Research about the behavior of Neotropical species is crucial to understand how the rapid environmental changes in the Neotropics affect the reproduction of various organisms. The reproductive behavior of insects in tropical ecosystems, such as those belonging to the order Odonata, is as yet scarcely known. In this article, the reproductive behavior of Erythrodiplax abjecta is described from several localities in the Colombian Andean Mountains. Playing out between 10:00 and 14:30 h, male individuals of this species may exhibit either territorial or satellite behavior. Sexually mature males and females engage in tandem and copulation behaviors, which are brief and may occur either perched or in flight. Females of E. abjecta oviposit directly in the water at various times, alternating with periods of rest. During oviposition, males stand guard over females, perched or hovering, in a quest to protect them against other males. Conspecific males have been observed to engage in sieges of perching or ovipositing females, as well as mating pairs. Following a siege, either the female or the original pair flees, or the besieging male will succeed in outcompeting the original male, take the female in tandem, copulate with her, and then guard her while she oviposits. If the female flees, she may perch elsewhere, continue ovipositing, or may be taken by another male. The intense male guarding behavior during oviposition could represent an adaptation to temporarily high male densities at oviposition sites and a high level of competition during the short period in which active copulation takes place.