Copulatory Behavior and Mate Selection in the Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex californicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Abstract
Choice experiments were used to determine if alate males or females of the California harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex californicus (Buckley) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates during mating efforts. Males mount nestmates and non-nestmates with equal frequency, and no difference in their behavior towards these two female classes was noted. Receptive females copulate with nestmates and non-nestmates, showing no selectivity on the basis of male origin. These results are interpreted in the context of the sexual behavior of P. californicus in the field, and the possible costs of inbreeding.