Blue-Tailed Damselflies (Ischnura elegans) (5)

Blue-Tailed Damselflies (Ischnura elegans) (5)

The image shows a female blue-tailed damselfly in the ‘heart-shape pairing wheel’. The female is held in place [and, thereby, kept away from the male] by the anal appendages of the male.

Many predator males have the problem that they may be eaten by the females, before, during or after mating. This could explain why two reproductive organs in males and such complex mating behavior evolved. Male spiders invented pedipalps to hold their sperm so that they can run away in time after mating.

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