Or keeping me in business...
Feb. 19, 2025
4
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Mating, looks like it is a bit complicated for these creatures.
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Not that complicated. I would say functional. Because they are still able to fly in that position - and they are totally coordinated and can fly really fast. She holds her head to his tail (sometimes he has a little forked clasp that holds her head). She places her tail to his abdomen and receives his sperm which may be kept for later or used immediately. Often they will fly around together after mating and she repetitively dips her tail into the water releasing eggs. Sometimes they separate first. Which way they do it is species dependent. There are advantages to this approach. Staying together he fends off other males - sometimes if separated he will fly above while she lays her eggs. In their current form they have been around for about 200 million years - they must be doing something right...
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¡Hola Bryan!
A good capture, and a great explanation of the curious behavior of these colorful bugs… -
Cheers! 👍
