Interactions

There are three ways that the Panorpa sigmoides mate. 

1. Feeding of adults is often associated with mating behavior.  The males will trap food (or steal from spider webs) to attract the female and she may leave or not choose the males if the offering is too small (Resh and Cardel 2003). 

2. If the male cannot impress a female with an insect carcass, they will spit up on leaves and use the odor to lure females.  Females then feed on the salivary mass during sexual intercourse (O'Toole 2002).

3. If these two do not work, there is little mating success and the male engages in "rape".  He uses his clamp-like structure on his abdomen to secure the female's wings and prevent the female from escaping (Sciverse 2006). There are not as many risks involved in this type of mating (like dying in spider webs), but the females involved in forced mating lay less eggs than if she is presented with gifts (O'Toole 2002).