TY  - JOUR
JF  - Insectes Sociaux
T1  - Hammering, mauling, and kissing: stereotyped courtship behavior in 
 Cardiocondyla
 ants
VL  - 54
SP  - 403
EP  - 411
PY  - 2007
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00040-007-0960-7
M3  - 10.1007/s00040-007-0960-7
AU  - Mercier, J.-L.
AU  - Lenoir, J.-C.
AU  - Eberhardt, A.
AU  - Frohschammer, S.
AU  - Williams, C.
AU  - Heinze, J.
N2  - Abstract.  Sex appears to be a rather prosaic and casual event in the life of most social Hymenoptera. In contrast, mating in the ant
 genus Cardiocondyla is regularly preceded by a prolonged and stereotypic courtship display. Pummeling the head of the female with mandibles and
 / or antennae and vibrations of the gaster, presumably stridulation, are essential parts of male courtship. The overall structure
 of the mating pattern is conserved throughout species and between winged and wingless, “ergatoid” males, but exhibits species-specific
 idiosyncrasies. For example, C. elegans males regularly end the interaction with a female with a short mouth-to-mouth contact. Variation in the duration of the precopulatory
 phase and the copulation itself might reflect different degrees of inter- and intrasexual selection. More information on the
 dynamics of sperm transfer and the risk and intensity of sperm competition are needed to better understand the evolution of
 the complex mating behavior in this genus.
 
ER  -