TIBIAL SPUR FEEDING IN GROUND CRICKETS: LARGER MALES CONTRIBUTE LARGER GIFTS (ORTHOPTERA: GRYLLIDAE)
Abstract
Many male insects provide somatic nuptial gifts that may strongly influence reproductive fitness by insuring an effective copulation or by increasing paternal investment. In the striped ground cricket, Allonemobius socius (Scudder), females receive a nuptial gift by chewing on a specialized spur on the male's hind tibia during copulation. Using a series of no-choice trials, we attempted to quantify gift magnitude and to determine the relationships between male size, gift contribution, and male mating success. Tibial spur chewing duration was a significant predictor of gift contribution (F1,17 = 17.02, P < 0.001) and the magnitude of the gift ranged between 0.2% and 8% of the male's body mass, implying that females receive mostly hemolymph. Large males produced bigger gifts than small males (2.52 ± 0.59 mg vs. 1.33 ± 0.28 mg, t17 = 1.88, P < 0.05, respectively) and females were more likely to mate with larger males (F1,39 = 4.76, P < 0.05). If gift size is shown to influence female reproductive fitness, then nuptial gifts may play a large role in the evolution of male body size.View this article in BioOne
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