COPULATION BEHAVIOR INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BEETLE MACROHALTICA-JAMAICENSIS (COLEOPTERA, CHRYSOMELIDAE)

Copulation behavior in Macrohaltica jamaicensis involved a complex, re latively stereotyped series of events both inside and outside the fema le. Only incomplete sperm transfer occurred in many copulations. Some aspects of male copulatory courtship behavior performed during and fol lowing copulation were consistently coordinated with particular stages in sperm transfer. This coordination suggests that copulatory courtsh ip may function to induce critical internal female responses which som etimes do not occur, such as relaxing the bursal muscles to permit dee per penetration, and allowing sperm transfer to occur before the sperm atophore is discarded.