5157bd9db1b607be9c6de8dc594b8b86

TitleOdontoloxozus longicornis males guarding a piece of rotting Opuntia.
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rating3
VettedTrusted
Description
Odontoloxozus longicornis males guarding a piece of rotting Opuntia.

Male body size is highly variable in this species. Some males are about the same size as females, while others are more than twice as large. Large males stake out territories on suitable oviposition substrates, mate with a female, and may then guard her through multiple oviposition and mating bouts. Small males often linger in the periphery and sneak in to score a mating when the large, guarding male is distracted by a fight with another male or the arrival of a new female.

Original URLhttp://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/image/view/6/_original
photographerSchulz, Katja
publisherSchulz, Katja
providerEOL Rapid Response Team
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith