Large spermatophores reduce female receptivity and increase male paternity success in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

McNamara, Kathryn B.; Elgar, Mark A.; Jones, Therésa M.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.01.007

Cited by 35 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Interestingly, this preference for mated males also exists for mated females; non-virgin females mated more often with experienced males when they had previously mated with a Total activity is the sum of flying and walking duration. Medians are presented with their interquartile range virgin male, but expressed no preference when previously mated to an experienced male (McNamara et al 2009). The mechanisms behind this experienced male advantage are not entirely clear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Male ejaculate size in this species does, however, affect female mating behaviour and longevity. Spermatophore size is an important determinant of female post-mating receptivity as virgin males that transfer larger ejaculates reduce female re-mating rate more effectively compared with small ejaculate-producing experienced males (McNamara et al 2009). Furthermore, attached to each spermatophore is a large chitinous spermatophore process (CSP), the function of which is unclear (Norris 1932).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A female preference for experienced males in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

McNamara

McKenzie

Elgar

et al. 2012

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Male mating status can affect female reproductive output if male ejaculate investment declines over consecutive matings. Accordingly, females are predicted to mate preferentially with virgin males. In mildly polyandrous lepidopterans, female fitness is less affected by reduced male investment than in more polyandrous species, and so the predictions for female mating preferences are less clear. We examined female mating preferences in the mildly polyandrous almond moth, Cadra cautella, in which ejaculate size does not affect female reproductive output. First, we allowed females to mate with virgin or once-mated males, in which the males were presented individually or simultaneously. We recorded the latency to mating and, in the case of the simultaneously presented trials, the identity of the successful, copulating male. We found that females mated more frequently with mated males (when simultaneously presented with both males), yet females did not differ in the time taken to initiate copulation with any male. We further examined if this mated male advantage was due to differential mate detection or locomotory behaviour of the male treatments. We tested the ability of virgin and mated males to locate a receptive female within a wind tunnel using long-distance pheromone cues and recorded their activity budget. We found no difference in the ability of mated or virgin males to locate or approach a receptive female, or in their activity levels. These data suggest a female preference for mated males in this species, a preference that may minimise other potential costs of mating.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A female preference for experienced males in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

McNamara

McKenzie

Elgar

et al. 2012

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…Teleopsis dalmanni stalk-eyed flies [74]; butterflies and moths [75]; and Cadra cautella moths [66]). Despite this ubiquity, the mechanisms generating such bimodal paternity share are not well understood.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of reproductive success across sequential episodes of sexual selection in a firefly

South

Lewis

2012

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Because females often mate with multiple males, it is critical to expand our view of sexual selection to encompass pre-, peri-and post-copulatory episodes to understand how selection drives trait evolution. In Photinus fireflies, females preferentially respond to males based on their bioluminescent courtship signals, but previous work has shown that male paternity success is negatively correlated with flash attractiveness. Here, we experimentally manipulated both the attractiveness of the courtship signal visible to female Photinus greeni fireflies before mating and male nuptial gift size to determine how these traits might each influence mate acceptance and paternity share. We also measured pericopulatory behaviours to examine their influence on male reproductive success. Firefly males with larger spermatophores experienced dual benefits in terms of both higher mate acceptance and increased paternity share. We found no effect of courtship signal attractiveness or pericopulatory behaviour on male reproductive success. Taken together with previous results, this suggests a possible trade-off for males between producing an attractive courtship signal and investing in nuptial gifts. By integrating multiple episodes of sexual selection, this study extends our understanding of sexual selection in Photinus fireflies and provides insight into the evolution of male traits in other polyandrous species.

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“…Colias eurytheme Boisduval Sugawara, 1979 Kaitala andWiklund, 1995;McNamara et al, 20096% Watanabe et al, 1998Svärd and Wiklund 1989 Pieris napi Linnaeus 15% …”

Section: %mentioning

confidence: 99%

Number of Sperm Produced and Ejaculated by Male Small Yellow <i>Eurema mandarina</i> in Summer Generations

Konagaya

Watanabe

2013

Japanese journal of applied entomology and zoology

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Mating activity of male Eurema mandarina in the summer generation is low shortly after emergence. Changes in the ejaculate potential of virgin males with age were examined for spermatophore mass as well as the number of eupyrene and apyrene spermatozoa produced. Fresh males just after emergence showed little mating activity. Only a single 1-day-old male succeeded in copulating with a virgin female, transferring a small spermatophore of 0.47 mg that contained 7 eupyrene sperm bundles and 47,000 apyrene spermatozoa. Spermatophore mass increased with male age. The number of spermatozoa for both types produced also increased with age. Maximum mass of spermatophore 2.0 mg was estimated in 14-day-old males, with 107 eupyrene sperm bundles and 650,000 apyrene spermatozoa. The number of sperm transferred to the female was positively related to the number of sperm produced. Older males of more than 14 days old produced and ejaculated larger spermatophore with more sperm than younger males. Because females mate with multiple males, resulting in sperm competition across their mates, older males have higher potential to overcome this situation. The low mating activity of younger males in E. mandarina is a waiting strategy until the accumulation of a full-size spermatophore and a full complement of sperm.

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Large spermatophores reduce female receptivity and increase male paternity success in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

Cited by 35 publications

References 43 publications

A female preference for experienced males in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

A female preference for experienced males in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

Determinants of reproductive success across sequential episodes of sexual selection in a firefly

Number of Sperm Produced and Ejaculated by Male Small Yellow <i>Eurema mandarina</i> in Summer Generations

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