Odontoloxozus longicornis

(Coquillett, 1904)

longhorn cactus fly

Odontoloxozus longicornis, commonly known as the longhorn , is a of in the . This species exhibits complex reproductive including male territoriality at sites and postcopulatory guarding. Males adopt condition-dependent mating strategies, with larger individuals defending territories on giant saguaro cacti while smaller males search for females. The species has been documented in desert environments of the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Cactus Fly Male (6276186325) by Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Oozing Encounter - Flickr - treegrow by Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Odontoloxozus longicornis - Flickr - aspidoscelis (1) by Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Odontoloxozus longicornis: /oʊˌdɒntoʊloʊkˈsəʊzəs ˌlɒŋɪˈkɔːrnɪs/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

Desert environments with giant saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea); males defend territories on cactus surfaces when conditions permit movement, while all males search within cactus when surface movement is restricted

Distribution

Pima County, Arizona; Mexico; Rica

Host Associations

Carnegiea gigantea - site and territorial arenagiant saguaro cactus; males defend territories on cactus surface for mating access

Life Cycle

, , and stages described in detail; stages have been morphologically characterized

Behavior

Males exhibit two distinct mating strategies maintained as mixed strategies in : territorial defense at sites versus searching for females. Larger males tend toward territoriality while smaller males adopt searching strategies. Strategy adoption is condition-dependent based on available cactus surface area. Postcopulatory guarding of females occurs. Repeated matings have been observed. When environmental conditions restrict movement, all males switch to searching within cactus .

More Details

Male Mating Strategies

Territorial strategies provide advantages of avoiding sperm displacement and encountering more fertile females, but incur higher investment costs and longer waiting times. Male territoriality is hypothesized to have evolved as an efficient form of postcopulatory guarding.

Nomenclature Note

The cactus was originally cited as 'Carnega gigantea' in source material; this is an older synonym for Carnegiea gigantea, the giant saguaro cactus.