Seasonal aspects of sexual cannibalism in the praying mantis (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mantis religiosa</Emphasis>) |
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Authors: | Pavol Prokop Radovan Václav |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Zoology (Slovak Academy of Sciences), Dúbravská cesta 9, 84506 Bratislava, Slovakia;(2) Department of Biology, University of Trnava, Priemyselná 4, P.O. Box 9, 91843 Trnava, Slovakia |
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Abstract: | According to the adaptive foraging hypothesis of sexual cannibalism, females face a trade-off between mating and consuming
a courting male. Because male and prey availability can change seasonally, sexual cannibalism may change with season. However,
we are not aware of any work examining how sexual cannibalism in insects relates to the time of season. Here, we examined
the seasonal pattern of sexual cannibalism and reproductive behaviour in the sexually cannibalistic praying mantis (Mantis religiosa). We repeatedly collected the last instars of praying mantises from the field and brought them up under natural weather and
photoperiod, but standardised feeding and socioecological conditions. After the females reached sexual maturity, we allowed
all of the females to mate during two mating trials. In comparison to female praying mantises maturing later in the season,
early-maturing females were larger but of poorer body condition on the day of a mating trial (20 days after the adult moult).
During the first round of mating trials, early-maturing virgin females cannibalised males more frequently than their late-maturing
counterparts. In contrast, late-maturing females that mated in the first round of mating trials were more likely than early-maturing,
nonvirgin females to be cannibalistic in the second round of mating trials. The latency time until copulation was correlated
with a risk of sexual cannibalism and was longer in early-maturing females. Our study suggests that the date of the last (adult)
moult plays an important role in the occurrence of sexual cannibalism. |
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Keywords: | Sexual cannibalism Season Mating status Foraging strategies Praying mantis Mantis religiosa |
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