July 3, 2012 10:18 am
Stick Bugs Have Sex for Two Months Straight
- Stick bug sex, ultra-close up edition. Photo: Melanie Cook
Yes.
They can. Two-plus months.
Or, more specifically, 79 days, says pseudonymous entomologist–blogger Bug Girl.
It’s generally thought that the male hangs around in order to have repeated matings, but also to drive off other males that want to get lucky. I found several reports of stick insect menage a trois (or sept) in the literature, including this etching of kinky stick insect activity.
Quoting a study on the topic, Bug Girl writes,
The Indian stick insect Necroscia sparaxes may remain coupled for up to 79 days (a record for insects)… In captivity, Diapheromera veliei and D. covilleae pair for 3 to 136 hours and the penis may be inserted and removed up to 9 times. The genitalia are not in contact for ca. 40% of this period, and attachment is maintained by a male clasping organ.
More from Smithsonian.com:
Biology’s Ten Worst Love Stories
Everything You Wanted to Know About Dinosaur Sex
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2 Comments »
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Well, technically, I don’t say they “have sex” for that long, just that they are paired up and mating occasionally.
It’s correct to say that stick insects can remain paired for up to 79 days, but not correct to say that they “have sex” for 79 days, just as it would not be technically correct to say you mated for 8 hours if you had sex at 10pm and again at 6am. (No word on stick insect tantric sex practices available at this time.
Comment by bug_girl — July 3, 2012 @ 12:17 pm
Helpful clarification, but since these are “Indian” stick insects, perhaps tantric sex practices are not out of the question.
And technically speaking, if you had sex at 10 pm and again at 6 am, it’s still a pretty good day.
Comment by fun gi — December 11, 2012 @ 2:56 pm