COPULATORY MECHANISMS AND SEXUAL SELECTION IN THE LOPHOPIDAE (HEMIPTERA, FULGOROMORPHA)

The copulatory mechanisms are studied for the first time within the Lo phopidae (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha) with the comparative morphological study of two pairs preserved in copula : Jugoda Melichar and Pyrilla Stal. As in the whole Fulgoromorpha, it shows the important function o f the anal tube to maintain the copulatory position and the diversity for the transport and storage of the spermatozoa. Morphological modifi cation linked to these behaviours could be considered as adaptations i n the model of sexual selection where the males might react to inter- or/and intrasexual selective pressures. A test of scenario recognises the morphological modifications of the anal tube as apomorphic charact ers; the hypothesis that these characters may represent adaptations fo r these taxa cannot be rejected.