Transgenerational effects of multiple mating in Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

Polyandry, which is widespread throughout many taxonomic groups, occurs when females mate with more than one male (Byrne & Whiting, 2011). However, females will often incur various costs of mating through increased risk of injury, disease, and predation (Ivy & Sakaluk, 2005). Nevertheless, the mating frequency of females often exceeds the number of copulations required for fertilization.In fact, a single mating is frequently sufficient for females to fertilize their entire complement of eggs and to maximize their reproductive