One researcher proposes that the likelihood of infidelity drives mating displays in monogamous pairs, and predicts that "the greater the incidence of sexual infidelity, the greater the rate of pair displays".
Throughout this phase, we never observed any of the candidate mates displaying to the female in the compartment above them.
The tunes are part of the males' mating displays, but researchers don't know their exact function, or which males in a population are doing the singing.
The function of this new form of vision is still a mystery, but researchers speculate that the crustacean may use it in mating displays or as a secret form of communication.
Lead researcher Dr Nick Neave said: "Although it is traditionally thought that signals given off by men when they dance have been designed - like animal mating displays - to be interpreted as clues of their physical attributes to the opposite sex, it seems that heterosexual men are also making use of these signals, presumably to detect a potential love rival.
It can be secretive, or it can be boisterous as in the mating displays of right and gray whales, when a number of males attempt to mate with a single female.
Re "Mating Dances Go On and On" (July 10): The mating displays of creatures pair-bonded for life whose behavior induces the partners to share "household" and child-rearing duties more equitably would tend to maximize joint longevity and thereby the reproductive success of the pair.
They're not hunting lures, but the mating displays of peacock spiders are spectacular.
Researchers interested in bird behavior have tended to focus on their flashy mating displays, melodious songs, and other talents, leaving the avian sense of smell largely unexplored.
