When Sex Becomes a Wrestling Game in a Dragonfly: Female Refusal Behavior to Male Harassers

Photo 1. Rhionaeschna multicolor adult. The left panel shows a male perched near the water body. Males spend most of time on flight, but they land for short times to rest or eat prey. right female Females rarely perch as it will expose them harassment. They typically after escape credit: Hayat Mahdjoub. 2. Hide and seek in reproductive sites multicolor. hovering its territory searching females different corners laying eggs without guarding her (typical species), which exposes This is why usually prefer lay vegetated areas hide from coercive males. 3. Male coercion When detected by male, he attempts seize “neck” fly with form copulatory wheel air. However, unwilling refuse copulation grasping vegetation tightly avoid flying male. 4. attempting successfully attached female, makes quick 360° turn fully lock (male secondary genitalia at base abdomen genital aperture tip abdomen). could resist this attempt refusing cooperation sometimes wiggling head destabilize flight ultimately highjack pair vegetation. lead breakup cessation coercion. 5. Copulation A copula result consenting forced copulate. These photographs illustrate article “When sex becomes wrestling game dragonfly: refusal behavior harassers” Rassim Khelifa published Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3435.