Mating Behavior of The Small Carpenter Ant, Camponotus yamaokai

Abstract

Ants are known to show diverse mating behaviors across different species, but detailed reports on such behaviors are limited to only 0.7% of ant species. Therefore, we report on the mating behavior of the alate females and males in the small carpenter ant, Camponotus yamaokai. Its process was classified into two phases: mating attempt, and copulation. Out of 53 pairs we observed, 23 pairs engaged in a total of 36 mating attempts. The mating attempt durations in cases where copulation failed were significantly longer than those leading to copulation. Among these attempts, copulation was observed 10 times in 9 pairs, including multiple mating in one pair. The copulation lasted for 24.0 ± 5.1 seconds (mean ± SD). At the end of copulation, males pulled out their genitalia quickly to avoid potential attacks from the females. This behavior might be a strategy of males to minimize the risk of mortality during a single mating and support them to engage in multiple mating.

Keywords

• copulation
• sexual behavior
• mating attempt
• intranidal mating