Courtship and mating in the crusader bug, Mictis profana (Fabricius)

Mating behaviour in the crusader bug, Mictis profana (Heteroptera: Miridae) is described. Using scan samples of marked individuals in outdoor enclosures, it is shown that larger males secure more matings than do small males. From videotaped recordings of captive individuals, a series of stereotyped male courtship behaviours are documented, which appear to include the use of a putative weapon - the median abdominal tubercle - in tactile stimulation of the female. The fighting behaviour of this species based on videotaped observations of male-male combat over access to females was also described.