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Multiple mating and lifetime reproductive output in female dobsonflies that receive nuptial gifts

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Ecological Research

In mating of the dobsonfly, Protohermes grandis (Thunberg), the male attaches the spermatophore externally to the female genitalia. The spermatophore includes a large gelatinous mass which the female detaches and feeds on after mating. While the female consumes this nuptial food gift, sperm is evacuated from the remaining portion of the spermatophore (sperm package) into her reproductive tract. Under laboratory conditions, mated females maintained receptivity throughout their lifetime, and they remated even on the day following copulation. A single insemination may supply enough sperm, as females mated only once deposited fertile eggs throughout life and, when dissected after death, all females had sperm in the spermatheca. There was a positive correlation between longevity and the number of matings. Lifetime fecundity also increased as mating multiplied. However, the size of eggs and hatchlings was not influenced by the number of matings. It seems that large spermatophore consumption by female P. grandis provides nutrients that increase fitness not in offspring quality, but in their quantity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minamiosawa 1–1, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192–0397, Japan

    Fumio Hayashi

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  1. Fumio Hayashi
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Hayashi, F. Multiple mating and lifetime reproductive output in female dobsonflies that receive nuptial gifts. Ecol Res 13, 283–289 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.1998.00272.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.1998.00272.x

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