Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus
Published on: December 25, 2016
Lateralization of Courtship Traits Impacts Pentatomid Male Mating Success-Evidence from Field Observations
Donato Romano1,2, Giovanni Benelli3, Cesare Stefanini1,2
1The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy.
Abstract:
Lateralization has been documented in many insect species, but limited information on courtship and mating lateralization in wild conditions is available. We conducted field investigation on the courtship and mating behavior of the neem bug, Halys dentatus, a polyphagous insect mainly infesting Azadirachta indica, with particular attention to lateralization of mating displays. We investigated the presence of population-level behavioral asymmetries during H. dentatus sexual interactions and their influence on male mating success. Two lateralized traits were found: left or right-biased male approaches to the female and left or right-biased male turning displays. Males approaching females from their left side were mainly right-biased in the 180° turning display, and males that approached females from their right side were mainly left-biased. Right-biased males by turning 180° to carry out end-to-end genital contact, performed a lower number of copulation attempts, thus starting copula earlier than left-biased males. Mating success was higher when males approached the left side of females during sexual interactions. A higher number of successful mating interactions was observed in right-biased males when turning 180°. Our results add useful knowledge on the reproductive behavior of H. dentatus in the field, with potential applications for identifying useful benchmarks to monitor the quality of individuals mass-reared for pest control purposes over time.
Related Concept Videos
Mate Choice
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...
Testing a Claim about Population Proportion
There are two methods of testing a claim about a population proportion: (1) Using the sample proportion from the data where a binomial distribution is approximated to the normal distribution and (2) Using the binomial probabilities calculated from the data.
The first method uses normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution. The requirements are as follows: sample size is large...
The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female...
Fixed Action Patterns
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...

