Aggressive brood defense by females in the stomatopod Gonodactylus bredini

Summary Defense behavior by brooding Gonodactylus bredini females was studied in staged fights against conspecific challengers. Females brooding eggs were more successful at defending their dwelling cavities than were nonreproductive females. Females caring for larvae were no more successful at cavity defense than were controls.Brooding females do not defend cavities by using more aggressive acts or by engaging in longer fights than nonreproductive females. The increase in defense success seems to be due to a greater willingness to continue a contest after being struck by a challenger. Also, brooding females make more frequent use of threats, in particular the Meral Spread display, than controls.Females defend cavities as vigorously as if they still had eggs 4 or 5 days after their eggs have been removed. Within the first 24 h after oviposition, a female's success at defending a cavity is greatly reduced compared to that of a female just 1 day later.