mating
Interested
When a female lands in a territory, the occupying male flies around her with rapidly fluttering wings to entice her into mating.
A firm grip
If the female is willing, the male lands on her back and takes hold behind her head with special claspers at the rear of his abdomen. Thus they form a tandem pair.
Copulation wheel
The female curves her abdomen under the front of the male's, where his sperm is stored in a body cavity. The linked couple now form a "copulation wheel". The female receives the sperm and is fertilized.
A tricky dilemma
The male has a problem: the female may have already mated, and be carrying sperm from another male! But the male has a solution: he inserts a brush-like appendage into the female's sex organ and moves it back and forth. This removes any sperm from other males that may be present. After that, he transfers his own sperm.
