Cost of mating in male Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Abstract

Mating and reproduction not only provide benefits but can also incur substantial costs. An increasing number of recent studies have indicated that mate searching, mating, and ejaculate production requires large amount of energy which can result in high cost to males. Here, we examine the effect of number of matings of males and mating duration on mating and reproductive success in Menochilus sexmaculatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) by subjecting them to 3 consecutive matings of 30, 60, 90 min, and complete mating (a) with no interval and (b) with interval of 24 hr between the matings. The results reveal a reduction in reproductive performance for both the setup and reduction is more when mating is consecutive without gap. This shows that between subsequent matings males require time to recuperate the sperm/ejaculate. As a male engages in a greater number of matings, the time it takes to begin mating when paired with a female increases and the overall duration of mating decreases. However, frequent mating attempts made by males result in reduction in their body weight. Thus, in this ladybird beetle mating and related physiological process consume lots of energy and the body weight of males tend to decrease which further modifies their reproductive performance. The study helps us to identify the cost of mating from male's perspective and indicates that males need to rejuvenate between the matings.

Does losing reduce the tendency to engage with rivals to reach mates? An experimental test

“…On the other hand, while males that tend to win contests have more mating opportunities, mating is energetically costly and can even lead to sperm depletion (e.g. Shandilya et al 2021 ). Males that are more likely to win fights should, therefore, be strategic when deciding which mating opportunities to pursue.…”

Diet and body size modulate the remating behaviour of a predaceous ladybird, Coccinella transversalis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae)

“…Stressful food conditions may allow adult survival with hampered reproduction (Dmitriew and Rowe, 2007), while an enriched early diet may lead to quantitative and fitter progeny (Li et al, 2020). Mating is associated with high energy consumption, where males expend energy in mate-search (Evans, 2003) and ejaculate production (Shandilya et al, 2021), while females in egg production (Perry, 2011). Thereby, the females can modify their nutrition acquisition as per the energy demand (Camus et al, 2018), sometimes by modulating the mating duration during nuptial feeding (Monalisa et al, 2020) or by increasing forage that enhances their nutritional state to increase fecundity (Fox and Moya-larano, 2009).…”

Reproductive behaviours in male parasitoids: From mating system to pairing pattern

“…Numerous examples support the hypothesis that increasing the number of reproductive opportunities affects residual reproductive success of males. In the ladybird, Menochilus sexmacutatus , frequent mating attempts made by males result in reduction in their body weight, and males engaging in consecutive matings suffer a longer latency before a new mating (Shandilya et al, 2021).…”