Cerambycidae: Acanthocinus aedulis male on Scots pine. It is not possible to get a close up of the beetle and get the entire antennae in the photo. The male often sits still for hours waiting for a passing female, whereupon he grabs her from behind and mates. Then he follows along on top while she walks slowly searching for a pine shoot beetle entrance hole in which to deposit an egg. Males and females usually do not remain together for more than a few minutes (or tens of minutes) but separate. There can thus be several matings per day with different partners. Most likely the last male to mate with a female will have his sperm inseminate the eggs until the next male mates.

---

Images © 1996 by John A. Byers, Chemical Ecology.