Sexual Selection and Lek Behavior in the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to describe the complex lek mating system of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Results of these studies indicate that there are two phases in the mating system: (1) lek behavior and (2) courtship. In the initial lek behavior phase, males acquire and defend territories that are used as courting sites for receptive females. An aggregation of these territories that form a communal display area is known as a "lek" and once a female enters the lek and arrives at the territory of a male, a series of courtship actions are reciprocated between the pair that may result in copulation. Descriptions of other environmental parameters that appear to be important features of the lek system are also presented.