BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 36
Abdominal Flexing
Both males and females, when arriving to perch, have been
observed/photo-documented ßexing their abdomens
vertically up and down, likely to attract a mate. On
November 29, 2025, the female illustrated below spent
several minutes on two different perches, ßexing her
abdomen to extreme positions, touching the tip to the perch
as if ovipositing (she was along Lower Mogollon Trail ~10m
from water and they oviposit into leaves and stems
overhanging water), and apparently grooming her abdomen
with her legs as if removing foreign material (possible
spider web strand, etc.).
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8. Lateral view of this perching female illustrates her
enlarged S8-S10 abdominal segments and the sharp
points of her ovipositor which is designed to
puncture plant tissues into which she deposits eggs
(10/31/25).
9. Female emerging from overnight cover perches on a
dried stem among Bermudagrass leaves, just above the
ground surface; females have generally been observed
perching low and ßying up to mate with an available
male (11/29/25).
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