THE DURATION OF STRONG MATE-GUARDING BY MALES OF THE LIBELLULID DRAGONFLY PALTOTHEMIS-LINEATIPES - PROXIMATE CAUSATION

Males of the territorial libellulid dragonfly Paltothemis lineatipes change the intensity with which they guard their mates during an oviposition bout. Immediately after copulation is completed, males exhibit strong guarding, remaining very close to their partners as they begin ovipositing. In less than a minute, however, they begin to drift away to resume territorial patrolling or even to perch while their partners continue to oviposit. The duration of strong guarding is not related to how long the male has been on territory. Nor is it an activity of fixed duration set by the release of the female following copulation or by the initiation of oviposition by a partner. Instead, males can extend the period of strong guarding if oviposition is interrupted experimentally early in a bout. Under these conditions, males follow their mates closely until they have found a new location at which they oviposit steadily. Thus, males apparently must see their partner oviposit for some time before reducing the intensity of mate-guarding.