Pseudocopulation is a behavior similar to

copulation Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the erect male penis inside the female vagina and followed by thrusting motions for sexual pleasure, reproduction, or both.Sexual inte ...

that serves a reproductive function for one or both participants but does not involve actual sexual union between the individuals. It is most generally applied to a

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are ...

attempting to copulate with a

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

adapted to

mimic In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...

a potential female mate. The resemblance may be visual, but the key stimuli are often chemical and tactile. The form of mimicry in plants that deceives an insect into pseudocopulation is called

Pouyannian mimicry Pouyannian mimicry is a form of mimicry in plants that deceives an insect into pseudocopulation, attempting to copulate with a flower. The flower mimicry, mimics a potential female mate of a male insect, which then serves the plant as a pollina ...

after the French lawyer and amateur botanist Maurice-Alexandre Pouyanne. A non-mimetic form of pseudocopulation has been observed in some

parthenogenetic Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek + ) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which the embryo develops directly from an egg without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means the development of an embryo from an unfertiliz ...

, all-female species of

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

. The behaviour does not appear to be necessary to trigger parthenogenesis.

Definition

In zoology, pseudocopulation is attempted

that serves a reproductive function for one or both participants but does not involve actual sexual union between the individuals.

In orchids

Pseudocopulation by an insect on a flower is a result of

, named after the French lawyer and amateur botanist Maurice-Alexandre Pouyanne. . This occurs in several

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s, whose flowers mimic the female mating signals of specific

insects, such as bees. The mimicry results in attempted copulation by males of the pollinator species, facilitating pollen transfer. Bee orchids (''

Ophrys apifera ''Ophrys apifera'', known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant of the genus ''Ophrys'', in the family of Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of Sexual mimicry#Interspecific deceptive mimicry, sexually d ...

'') and fly orchids (''

Ophrys insectifera ''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly ...

''), specifically, utilize flower morphology, coloration, and scent to deceive their respective pollinators. These orchids have evolved traits matching the preferences of specific pollinator niches, leading to adaptive

speciation Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution within ...

. Although bee and fly orchids are visual mimics of their pollinators, visual traits are not the only (nor the most important) ones mimicked to increase attraction.

In lizards

Some

species, such as the Laredo striped whiptail (''Aspidoscelis nemidophoruslaredoensis'') and the Desert grassland whiptail lizard (A. uniparens), consist only of females, which reproduce by

parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek + ) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which the embryo develops directly from an egg without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means the development of an embryo from an unfertiliz ...

. Some of these species have been observed to practise pseudocopulation in captivity, but it does not appear to be required to trigger parthenogenesis.

References

{{animal sexual behavior Mimicry Animal sexuality Sexual acts Pollination