Increased copulation duration before ejaculate transfer is associated with larger spermatophores, and male genital titillators, across bushcricket taxa.
J Evol Biol
; 24(9): 1960-8, 2011 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21658143
ABSTRACT
Copulation duration varies considerably across species, but few comparative studies have examined factors that might underlie such variation. We examined the relationship between copulation duration (prior to spermatophore transfer), the complexity of titillators (sclerotized male genital contact structures), spermatophore mass and male body mass across 54 species of bushcricket. Using phylogenetic comparative analyses, we found that copulation duration was much longer in species with titillators than those without, but it was not longer in species with complex compared with simple titillators. A positive relationship was found between spermatophore size and copulation duration prior to ejaculate transfer, which supports the hypothesis that this represents a period of mate assessment. The slope of this relationship was steeper in species with simple rather than complex titillators. Although the data suggest that the presence of titillators is necessary to maintain long copulation prior to ejaculate transfer, mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Orthoptera
/
Copulation
Type of study:
Incidence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
J Evol Biol
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA
Year:
2011
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United kingdom