Britannica
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Why do some female robber flies, butterflies, and dragonflies become immobile during mating encounters?
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Avoidance behaviour
Cat fleeing by upward climbing.
In the context of animal behavior, female robber flies, butterflies, and dragonflies may display tonic immobility—a reflexive state of motor inhibition—specifically to avoid unwanted male attention and forceful copulation.1
While tonic immobility is frequently associated with predator-prey interactions as a defensive mechanism to appear lifeless, it also occurs in various reproductive contexts. For these female insects, entering this immobile state serves as an avoidance behavior, allowing them to reject or evade the advances of males.1