Copulation and oviposition behaviour of Protopiophila litigata (Diptera: Piophilidae)

Using field and laboratory (stereoscope) observations, we investigated copulation and oviposition behaviours of Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky, which mates and oviposits exclusively on discarded cervid antlers. Typically, a male leapt onto a female, briefly tapped the sides of her abdomen with his legs, then stimulated her abdominal tip with his tarsi, parameres, and gonopods until she extended her genitalia (similar to 4 min), after which the pair established genital lock (similar to 10 min). Meanwhile, the female emigrated to a part of the antler where density of single males was lower. Following sperm transfer (similar to 87 min) and genital separation (similar to 5 min), the female deposited and ingested two droplets containing spermatozoa (similar to 6 min). Then she oviposited (similar to 29 min) into cracks or pores in the antler's surface while the male remained in tandem and pushed away single males with his wings. Males often wrestled for possession of females, but take-overs were rare. Whereas most aspects of the copulation-oviposition cycle of P. litigata are characteristic of other necrophagous or scatophagous flies, the manner in which P. litigata females expel and ingest ejaculate materials after copulation has not been reported in any other species of Diptera.