Novel mating behaviour in Florelliceps stutchburyae gen. nov., sp nov (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae) from Australia

While mating behaviour in onychophorans has been documented in only a few s pecies, it would appear that male reproductive strategies include both derm al and vaginal insemination. To add to this diversity, the males of many ne wly described species of Australian onychophorans display elaborate head st ructures. In some species, these head structures have been shown to carry s permatophores. Here we describe Florelliceps stutchburyae gen. nov., sp. no v., a species possessing a unique head structure. An account of its unusual mating behaviour is provided in which the male's everted head structure wa s placed against the female's gonopore and held there by the claws of the f emale's reduced last pair of oncopods. After the individuals separated, the female's genital opening was covered by a spermatophore and histological s ections showed that sperm had been released into her reproductive tract. A review of mating behaviour in onychophorans is also included with a discuss ion of sperm acquisition by the female and its correlation with her reprodu ctive cycle.