While the immediate benefits accrued to females through multiple mating are well documented, the effect of sperm depletion for multiply mating males is rarely considered. We show that, in small mixed-sex laboratory aggregations, both male and female hide beetles, Dermestes maculatus (De Geer) mated multiply. There was considerable variation in the mating frequency of both sexes; however the skew in mating success was comparable for males and females. Several individuals that mated multiply also re-mated with a previous partner, but in a competitive environment no male copulated more than seven times. Mating success was unrelated to an individual's size, but males that had the most inter-sexual matings also engaged in the most intra-sexual mating attempts. In a second experiment, we show that, even in the absence of rivals, only a small number of males mated with all available virgin females. Moreover, even though males were mated twice to each female, males that copulated more than eight times failed to fertilize any eggs. We suggest that under natural conditions male hide beetles may refrain from mating either prior to, or at the point of, sperm depletion thereby reducing the selection pressure for females to discriminate against sperm depleted males. However, fecundity and fertilization success varied considerably across females and even those mating with sperm-replete males were unable to fertilize 100% of their egg batch. Thus, direct fertilization benefits accrued by females through mating more than once with the same male may play a key role in the maintenance of polyandry in this species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Abdel-Kader, M. M., and Barak, A. V. (1979). Evidence for a sex pheromone in the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). J. Chem. Ecol. 5: 805–813.
Andersson, J., Borg-Karlson, A. K., and Wiklund, C. (2000). Sexual cooperation and conflict in butterflies: A male-transferred anti-aphrodisiac reduces harassment of recently mated females. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 267: 1271–1275.
Andersson, M. (1994). Sexual selection. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Archer, M. S., and Elgar, M. A. (1998). Cannibalism and delayed pupation in hide beetles, Dermestes maculatus DeGeer (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Aus. J. Entomol. 37: 158–161.
Archer, M. S., and Elgar, M. A. (1999). Female preference for multiple partners: Sperm competition in the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus (DeGeer). Anim. Behav. 58: 669–675.
Arnqvist, G., and Nilsson, T. (2000). The evolution of polyandry: Multiple: mating and female fitness in insects. Anim. Behav. 60: 145–164.
Bateman, A. J. (1948). Intra-sexual selection in Drosophila. Heredity. 2: 349–368.
Chapman, T., Liddle, L. F., Kalb, J. M., Wolfner, M. F., and Partridge, L. (1995). Cost of mating in Drosophila melanogaster females is mediated by male accessory-gland products. Nature. 373: 241–244.
Chevrier, C., and Bressac, C. (2002). Sperm storage and use after multiple mating in Dinarmus basalis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). J. Insect Behav. 15: 385–398.
Clutton-Brock, T. H. (1988). Reproductive Success, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Dewbury, D. A. (1982). Ejaculate cost and mate choice. Am. Nat. 119: 601–610.
Eberhard, W. G. (1996). Female control: Sexual selection by cryptic female choice. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Elgar, M. A., Champion de Crespigny, F. E., and Ramamurthy, S. (2003). Male copulation behaviour and the risk of sperm competition. Anim. Behav. 66: 211–216
Höglund, J., and Alatalo, R. V. (1995). Leks. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Hughes, L., Chang, B. S. W., Wagner, D., and Pierce, N. E. (2000). Effects of mating history on ejaculate size, fecundity, longevity, and copulation duration in the ant-tended lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 47: 119–128.
Jennions, M. D., and Petrie, M. (2000). Why do females mate multiply? A review of the genetic benefits. Biol. Rev. Cambr. Phil. Soc. 75: 21–64.
Jones, T. M. (2001). A potential cost of monandry in the lekking sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis. J. Insect Behav. 14: 385–399.
Jones, T. M., and Elgar, M. A. (2004). The role of male age, sperm age and mating history on fecundity and fertilization success in the hide beetle. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 271: 1311–1318.
Kokko, H. (1997). Evolution of honest signal displays. Doctorate thesis. Helsinki.
McNamara, K. B., Jones, T. M., and Elgar, M. A. (2004). Female reproductive status and mate choice in the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus. J. Insect Behav. 17: 337–352.
Nakatsuru, K., and Kramer, D. (1982). Is sperm cheap? Limited male fertility and female choice in the lemon tetra (Pisces, Characidae). Science. 216: 753–755.
Parker, G. A. (1970). Sperm competition and it's evolutionary consequences in the insects. Biol. Rev. Cambr. Phil. Soc. 45: 525–567.
Pizzari, T., Cornwallis, C. K., Lovlie, H., Jakobsson, S., and Birkhead, T. R. (2003). Sophisticated sperm allocation in male fowl. Nature. 426: 70–74.
Preston, B. T., Stevenson, I. R., Pemberton, J. M., and Wilson, K. (2001). Dominant rams lose out by sperm depletion—A waning success in siring counters a ram's high score in competition for ewes. Nature. 409: 681–682.
Radwan, J., and Rysinksa, M. (1999). Effect of mating frequency on female fitness in Caloglyphus berlesei (Astigmata: Acaridae). Exper. Appl. Acar. 23: 399–409.
Rakowski, G., and Cymborowski, B. (1986). Some environmental influences and physiological factors influencing the response of the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus, to aggregation pheromone. Int. J. Invert. Repro, Devel. 9: 35–41.
Rasbash, J., Browne, W., Goldstein, H., Yang, M., Plewis, I., Healy, M., Woodhouse, G., Draper, D., Langford, I., and Lewis, T. (2000). A user's guide to MLwiN, 2nd edn, Institute of Education, London.
Rice, W. (1989). Analysing tables of statistical tests. Evolution. 43: 223–225.
Ridley, M. (1988). Mating frequency and fecundity in insects. Biol. Rev. Cambr. Phil. Soc. 63: 509–549.
Royer, L., and McNeil, J. N. (1993). Male investment in the European corn-borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae): Impact on female longevity and reproductive-performance. Func. Ecol. 7: 209–215.
Savalli, U. M., and Fox, C. W. (1999). The effect of male mating history on paternal investment, fecundity and female remating in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Func. Ecol. 13: 169–177.
Seth, R. K., Kaur, J. J., and Reynolds, S. E. (2002). Sperm transfer during mating, movement of sperm in the female reproductive tract, and sperm precedence in the common cutworm Spodoptera litura. Physiol. Entomol. 27: 1–14.
Simmons, L. W. (2001). Sperm Competition and its Evolutionary Consequences in the Insects, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Tram, U., and Wolfner, M. F. (1998). Seminal fluid regulation of female sexual attractiveness in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 95: 4051–4054.
Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In Campbell, B. (ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man, 1871–1971, Aldine-Atherton, Chicago.
Vasey, P. L. (1995). Homosexual behavior in primates—a review of evidence and theory. Int. J. Primatol. 16: 173–204.
Warner, R. R., Shapiro, D. Y., Marcanato, A., and Petersen, C. W. (1995). Sexual conflict—males with highest mating success convey the lowest fertilization benefits to females. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 262: 135–139.
Wedell, N., and Cook, P. A. (1999). Butterflies tailor their ejaculate in response to sperm competition risk and intensity. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 266: 1033–1039.
Wedell, N., Gage, M. J. G., and Parker, G. A. (2002). Sperm competition, male prudence and sperm-limited females. Trends Ecol. Evol. 17: 313–320.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Greg Adcock, Michael Magrath and two anonymous referees for commenting on a previous version of the manuscript. TMJ was funded by a Traveling Fellowship from the Royal Society of London and is currently funded by the ARC (DP0209680).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jones, T., McNamara, K.B., Colvin, P.G.R. et al. Mating Frequency, Fecundity and Fertilization Success in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes Maculatus . J Insect Behav 19, 357–371 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-006-9032-5
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-006-9032-5