Mating duration and frequency in a pine sawfly

Abstract:
Newly emerged females of the European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer Geoffroy (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), were placed on pine twigs in the field and their behavior was recorded. Twenty to 25% of the females attracted wild males and mated on the day of release. One-third to one-half of these females remained and oviposited, while the rest disappeared from their twigs after mating. The mating frequency peaked at noon, and on average the mating lasted for 19 +/- 13 (SD) min. Eleven to 30% of the females that remained on their twigs after mating remated, occasionally up to five times. Most released females disappeared from their twigs on the first day. Disappearances included both predation and dispersal. Only a few dispersals >5 m were recorded, because the sawflies were difficult to follow during fight. By color marking, dispersal up to 20 m was recorded.