Data from: Evolution of male courtship behavior among species of parasitoids in the genus Aphelinus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

We compared male courtship behavior among parasitoid species in the genus Aphelinus. Male Aphelinus antennate in alternating bouts of waving and simultaneous dipping. Among species, durations of courtship rounds varied, and within these rounds, durations of dipping and waving bouts varied. Furthermore, number of dipping bouts, dips per bout, and positions of male antennae during courtship varied among species. Logistic regression of species on these components of male behavior correctly classified males to species with 95 percent accuracy. Mapping these courtship components onto a molecular phylogeny showed that antennal positions tended to be phylogenetically conserved, whereas antennation durations and numbers of bouts diverged when clades diverged. The overall phylogenetic signal was weak. Comparison of behavioral components between allopatric and sympatric species, controlling for phylogenetic distance, showed little evidence for reinforcement in sympatry.