Copulation patterns in the golden orb-web spider Nephila madagascariensis

A consequence of multiple mating by females can be that the sperm of two or more males directly compete for the fertilisation of ova inside the female reproductive tract. Selection through sperm-competition favours males that protect their sperm against that of rivals and strategically allocate their sperm, e.g., according to the mating status of the female and the morphology of the spermatheca. In the majority of spiders, we encounter the otherwise unusual situation that females possess two independent insemination ducts, both ending in their own sperm storage organ, the spermatheca. Males have paired mating organs, but generally can only fill one spermatheca at a time. We investigated whether males of the African golden orb-web spider Nephila madagascariensis can prevent rival males from mating into the same spermatheca and whether the mating status of the female and/or the spermatheca causes differences in male mating behaviour. There was no significant difference in the duration of copulations into unused spermathecae of virgin and mated females. We found that copulations into previously inseminated spermathecae were generally possible, but shorter than copulations into the unused side of mated females or with virgins. Thus, male N. madagascariensis may have an advantage when they mate with virgins, but cannot prevent future males from mating. However, in rare instances, parts of the male genitals can completely obstruct a female genital opening.     

Pattern of sperm storage and migration in the reproductive tract of the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus: cryptic female choice after second mating

Females of the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus L. (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) mate multiply during their life span and use the spermatophores transferred to increase their longevity as well as fecundity. Sperm from different males may be stored in the sperm storage organs (bursa copulatrix and spermatheca). To clarify the pattern of sperm storage and migration in the reproductive tract, mated females are dissected after various intervals subsequent to the first mating, and the type and activity of sperm in the spermatheca are observed. When virgin females are mated with virgin males, the females store sperm in the spermatheca for more than 10 days. Sperm displacement is found in females that are remated 7 days after the first mating. Immediately after remating, these females flush out the sperm of the first male from the spermatheca before sperm migration of the second male has started. However, females receiving a small spermatophore at the second mating show little sperm displacement, and the sperm derived from the small spermatophore might not be able to enter the spermatheca. Females appear to use spermatophore size to monitor male quality.     

Sperm numbers,their storage and usage in the fly Dryomyza anilis

In the fly Dryomyza anilis females have two kinds of sperm storage organs: one bursa copulatrix and three spermathecae (two spermathecae with a common duct form the doublet, and the third is a singlet spermathecal unit). At the beginning of a mating the male deposits his sperm in the bursa copulatrix. After sperm transfer the male taps the female''s abdomen with his claspers. This behaviour has been shown to increase the male''s fertilization success. After mating, the female discharges large quantities of sperm before oviposition. To find out where the sperm remaining in the female are stored, I counted the number of sperm in the droplet and in the female''s sperm storage organs after different types of mating. I carried out three mating experiments. In experiment 1, virgin females were mated with one male and the matings were interrupted either immediately after sperm transfer or after several tapping sequences. The results show that during male tapping more sperm moved into the singlet spermatheca. In addition, the total number of sperm correlated with sperm numbers in all sperm storage organs, and male size was positively related to the number of sperm remaining in the bursa. In experiment 2, females mated with several males. The number of sperm increased with increasing number of matings only in the doublet spermatheca. No increase in the number of sperm in the singlet spermatheca during consecutive matings suggests that sperm were replaced or did not reach this sperm storage organ. In experiment 3, virgin females were mated with a single male and half of them were allowed to lay eggs. The experiment showed that during egglaying, females primarily used sperm from their singlet spermatheca. The results from the three experiments suggest that sperm stored in the singlet spermatheca is central for male fertilization success and male tapping is related to sperm storage in the singlet spermatheca. The different female''s sperm storage organs in D. anilis may have separate functions during sperm storage as well as during sperm usage.     

Paternity analysis of wild‐caught females shows that sperm package size and placement influence fertilization success in the bushcricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

In species where females store sperm, males may try to influence paternity by the strategic placement of sperm within the female's sperm storage organ. Sperm may be mixed or layered in storage organs, and this can influence sperm use beyond a ‘fair raffle’. In some insects, sperm from different matings is packaged into discrete packets (spermatodoses), which retain their integrity in the female's sperm storage organ (spermatheca), but little is known about how these may influence patterns of sperm use under natural mating conditions in wild populations. We examined the effect of the size and position of spermatodoses within the spermatheca and number of competing ejaculates on sperm use in female dark bushcrickets (Pholidoptera griseoaptera) that had mated under unmanipulated field conditions. Females were collected near the end of the mating season, and seven hypervariable microsatellite loci were used to assign paternity of eggs laid in the laboratory. Females contained a median of three spermatodoses (range 1–6), and only six of the 36 females contained more than one spermatodose of the same genotype. Both the size and relative placement of the spermatodoses within the spermatheca had a significant effect on paternity, with a bias against smaller spermatodoses and those further from the single entrance/exit of the spermatheca. A higher number of competing males reduced the chances of siring offspring for each male. Hence, both spermatodose size and relative placement in the spermatheca influence paternity success.     

Mating strategy in Aleochara bilineata: sperm storage and allocation

Abstract By contrast to females that can maximize reproductive success with only one or a few copulations, males generally increase their fitness with frequency of mating. Sperm storage and allocation is therefore crucial for both male and female fitness. Sperm storage in Aleochara bilineata (Coleoptera; Staphylinidae) is investigated by measuring the number of spermatozoa stored in the female spermatheca after single, double or triple successive copulations with different males. The potential advantages of polyandry are studied in terms of the number of sperm stored by females mated twice with the same male (i.e. repeated copulation), compared with females mated twice with two different virgin males (i.e. polyandry). Level of polygyny is also estimated by measuring sperm allocation when ten successive mates are offered to a virgin male. Aleochara bilineata females store the sperm of the same or different males additively, suggesting no advantage for polyandry in terms of the number of sperm stored. A virgin male is able to inseminate ten different females but the number of sperm transferred decreases linearly. Finally, the latencies and durations of copulations are measured in all experiments to estimate changes according to the male or female status (i.e. virgin or mated). The latency before mating is higher when females are virgin than when females have already mated.     

Flagellar setae of the second antennae in decapod shrimps: sexual dimorphism and possible role in detection of contact sex pheromones

Summary

The antenna 2 (antennal) flagella of decapod shrimps are chemotactile, and their setae are proposed as sensilla involved in recognition of females by males via a contact sex pheromone on the surface of the female. Male recognition of females receptive to mating occurs in many caridean species upon contact of male antennal flagella with the surface of a newly molted parturial female. The hypothesis of sexual dimorphism in the number and kind of setae on the antennal flagella of four caridean and one penaeid shrimp species was tested with setal counts and observations on setal morphology. Unique male antennal setae (“male-specific sensilla”) were not identified in any of the species investigated. However, the abundance of antennal setae was significantly greater in males than in breeding females in the palaemonid carideans Palemonetes pugio and Macrobrachium ohione. In the hippolytid caridean Thor manningi and alpheid caridean Alpheus normanni, no sexual dimorphism in setal abundance was demonstrated. In the penaeoid Rimapenaeus similis, males had a higher abundance of antennal setae than the larger breeding females but so did juvenile females, similar in size to males. The sexual dimorphism in antennal sensilla in the palaemonid species and its absence in A. normanni might be related to their different mating systems, but no such association is suggested for T. manningi and R. similis. Setal morphology suggestive of chemoreceptive function (a terminal pore) was observed in all species.     

Competitive PCR reveals the complexity of postcopulatory sexual selection in Teleogryllus commodus

The outcome of mate choice depends on complex interactions between males and females both before and after copulation. Although the competition between males for access to mates and premating choice by females are relatively well understood, the nature of interactions between cryptic female choice and male sperm competition within the female reproductive tract is less clear. Understanding the complexity of postcopulatory sexual selection requires an understanding of how anatomy, physiology and behaviour mediate sperm transfer and storage within multiply mated females. Here we use a newly developed molecular technique to directly quantify mixed sperm stores in multiple mating females of the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus. In this species, female postcopulatory choice is easily observed and manipulated as females delay the removal of the spermatophore in favour of preferred males. Using twice‐mated females, we find that the proportion of sperm in the spermatheca attributed to the second male to mate with a female (S₂) increases linearly with the time of spermatophore attachment. Moreover, we show that the insemination success of a male increases with its attractiveness and decreases with the size of the female. The effect of male attractiveness in this context suggests a previously unknown episode of mate choice in this species that reinforces the sexual selection imposed by premating choice and conflicts with the outcome of postmating male harassment. Our results provide some of the clearest evidence yet for how sperm transfer and displacement in multiply mated females can lead directly to cryptic female choice, and that three distinct periods of sexual selection operate in black field crickets.     

Role of the petasma and appendices masculinae during copulation and insemination in the penaeoid shrimp,Sicyonia dorsalis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata)

Summary

The role of presumed male gonopods in the insemination of females was investigated in the penaeoid shrimp Sicyonia dorsalis. Males with partially ablated petasmata or with ablated appendices masculinae did not copulate with females, while control males with exopods removed from the third pleopods copulated frequently and successfully inseminated females. However, males with petasmata altered by blockages at the tip or at the base did copulate with females but were unable to inseminate them. The hypothesis that the petasma of Sicyonia is a sperm injection device is rejected. Evidence against this hypothesis includes the structure of the gonopods, the position of the male at right angles below the female during copulation, the brevity of copulation, the frequency of copulation during normal matings, and the ability of males to inseminate only the spermatheca on one side per successful copulation. It is hypothesized that the male uses the petasma, supported by the endopods of the second pleopods, to hook onto the female thelycum, adjusting position so that one erect genital papilla directly injects sperm mass into the aperture of one of the paired spermathecae. It is suggested that female selection on male petasma structure and use has resulted in the complex form of the petasma, rather than a purely mechanical selection for an efficient sperm injection device.     

A review of the current (1992) state of our knowledge concerning reproduction in open thelycum Penaeid shrimp with emphasis on Penaeus vannamei

Summary

The current state of knowledge relating to the reproduction of the commercially important open thelycum shrimps (Crustacea: Penaeidae) is reviewed with particular reference to Penaeus vannamei. Industry standard procedures for the breeding of shrimps in captivity are reviewed against a background of knowledge concerning the maturation processes in males and females. The factors controlling maturation are not completely understood, and it is not clear whether maturation of females is size-or age-dependent. Although unilateral eyestalk ablation is routinely used to induce maturation, the physiological mechanism of this operation is not properly understood. Further research on environmental conditions for successful maturation is required. Nutrition is an important component in successful artificial breeding programs that still rely on the provision of natural foods (squid and polychaeta). The processes of oocyte formation, mating, spawning and hatching are discussed in relation to observations made at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.     

Age-Related Sperm Production,Transfer, and Storage in the Sweet Potato Weevil, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cylas formicarius</Emphasis> (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The relationship between sperm production, insemination rate, and sperm transfer were studied in the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius. Older adult males retained more sperm in the testes-seminal vesicle complex (TSC) and thus more was ejaculated into females at first mating. Number of matings per day for males was relatively constant across different ages, and frequent mating resulted in a reduced amount of sperm transferred to females, especially in young males. Young virgin males had a relatively small ejaculate, and almost all sperm transferred to females was stored in the spermatheca, whereas older virgin males transferred a larger amount of sperm to females, in whom sperm was found in both the spermatheca and post-spermathecal organs (PSO) after mating. The number of sperm in the PSO decreased markedly within 24 h after mating, but amounts in the spermatheca remained the same. Just where the sperm in the PSO went is a point that remained undetermined. The amount of sperm in the spermatheca was reduced more rapidly in females that laid eggs than in females that did not, although sperm reduction occurred even in the latter. Insemination of this weevil corresponded with the volume of the spermatheca, and the amount of sperm stored in the TSC was determined by the age and mating history of the males.     

Double insurance of paternity by a novel type of mating plug in a monandrous solitary mason bee Osmia bicornis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Males of some hymenopteran species are able to behaviourally induce unreceptivity to mating in females by a post‐copulatory display (post‐copulatory courtship). This method of preventing further inseminations requires a high degree of female cooperation by the female and is especially susceptible to manipulations. If mating chances are low and sexual competition between males high, males can be expected to evolve additional mechanisms to protect their fertilization opportunities. This hypothesis was checked in the red mason bee Osmia bicornis (Linnaeus, 1758; syn. Osmia rufa). Males of this species were found to use a mating plug as a reinsurance to protect their paternity, although they induce females' monandry by a post‐copulatory display. Male accessory gland secretions transferred during ejaculation form a plastic, spongy plug in the females' vagina that also contains the spermatozoa. This mating plug does not hinder rivals to mate with the female but prevents intermixing of the sperm. Thus, the sperm precedence of the first male is secured. The plug is ejected by the female after approximately 1 day when the spermatheca has been completely filled with sperm. The male accessory gland supply is sufficient for the formation of two to three plugs only and is not replenished. This pattern fits well with the low mating opportunities of O. bicornis males. The evolution of a mating plug in addition to the behavioural induction of unreceptivity to mate in females is discussed. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 115 , 28–37.     

Female crickets assess relatedness during mate guarding and bias storage of sperm towards unrelated males

Recent evidence shows that females exert a post‐copulatory fertilization bias in favour of unrelated males to avoid the genetic incompatibilities derived from inbreeding. One of the mechanisms suggested for fertilization biases in insects is female control over transport of sperm to the sperm‐storage organs. We investigated post‐copulatory inbreeding‐avoidance mechanisms in females of the cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. We assessed the relative contribution of related and unrelated males to the sperm stores of double‐mated females. To demonstrate unequivocally that biased sperm storage results from female control rather than cryptic male choice, we manipulated the relatedness of mated males and of males performing post‐copulatory mate guarding. Our results show that when guarded by a related male, females store less sperm from their actual mate, irrespective of the relatedness of the mating male. Our data support the notion that inhibition of sperm storage by female crickets can act as a form of cryptic female choice to avoid the severe negative effects of inbreeding.     

Strategic Investment in Sperm Removal Behaviour in a Bushcricket

Multiple mating by females is widespread and generates sperm competition among the ejaculates of rival males over fertilization. One way in which males can avoid or reduce sperm competition is by displacing or removing previous males’ sperm from female sperm stores. An apparent example of this occurs in the bushcricket Metaplastes ornatus. Males perform a specialised sperm removal behaviour (SRB), using their highly-derived subgenital plate, with which they remove sperm from the female’s spermatheca during the early phases of mating before transferring a spermatophore of their own. Here we investigated whether males strategically invest in SRB according to the amount of previously stored sperm present in females. Each male was tested twice, once with a female containing sperm (‘filled’ condition) and once with a female from whom most previously deposited sperm had recently been removed by another male (‘emptied’ condition). For comparison, a separate group of males was paired with virgin females. Males did not discriminate between non-virgin females in the ‘emptied’ or ‘filled’ conditions in terms of their investment in SRB, suggesting they may not able to perceive the amount of sperm present in the female’s spermatheca. By contrast, male investment in SRB was significantly reduced in pairings with virgin females, indicating that males are sensitive to some aspect of a female’s mating status. Our results thus suggest that males modulate SRB in response to female-mediated cues, possibly chemical cues left by previous males, which would not be present on virgin but would be on non-virgin females.     

SPERM COMPETITION AND THE EVOLUTION OF NUPTIAL FEEDING BEHAVIOR IN THE CRICKET,GRYLLODES SUPPLICANS (WALKER)

The pattern of sperm predominance in doubly mated female crickets, Gryllodes supplicans, was investigated using a radiation-sterility technique. Female G. supplicans made significant use of sperm from both males in fertilizing eggs; overall, first males to mate enjoyed a small advantage, fertilizing about 60% of the offspring produced subsequent to the second mating. The combined use of the sperm of both males in fertilizing eggs occurred soon after the second mating; evidently, mixing of ejaculates within a female's spermatheca does occur. Male G. supplicans provide females with a nuptial gift, the spermatophylax, which influences the time at which a female removes the externally attached sperm-ampulla; this in turn determines the quantity of sperm that is transferred. Moreover, the degree of sperm precedence achieved by a male may be positively related to the time at which the female removes his sperm ampulla. Thus males, by feeding females, ensure not only that a sufficient number of sperm are transferred to fertilize all of a female's eggs, but also may increase the certainty of their paternity. In mating systems in which females control sperm transfer and paternity is influenced by numbers of sperm (i.e., numerical sperm competition), an increase in prezygotic investment in females may be an adaptive male response.     

Motility and dynamics of eupyrene and apyrene sperm in the spermatheca of the monandrous swallowtail butterfly Byasa alcinous

Lepidopteran males produce two sperm types: nucleated eupyrene sperm and non‐nucleated apyrene sperm. Although apyrene sperm are infertile, both sperm types migrate from the spermatophore to the spermathecal after copulation. As a dominant adaptive explanation for migration of apyrene sperm in polyandrous species, the cheap filler hypothesis suggests that the presence of a large number of motile apyrene sperm in the spermatheca reduces female receptivity to re‐mating. However, apyrene sperm are also produced in males of the monandrous swallowtail butterfly Byasa alcinous Klug. To identify the role of apyrene sperm in these males, the present study examines the number of spermatozoa produced and transferred and the dynamics and motility of spermatozoa in the spermatheca for each type of sperm. Apyrene sperm represents approximatey 89% of the sperm produced and transferred, which is comparable to polyandrous species. Two‐day‐old males transfer approximately 17 000 eupyrene and 230 000 apyrene spermatozoa to a spermatophore; approximately 5000 eupyrene and 47 000 apyrene spermatozoa arrive at the spermatheca. Eight days after copulation, most eupyrene spermatozoa remain in the spermatheca and a quarter of them are still active. However, the number of apyrene spermatozoa decreases and those remaining lose their motility after the arriving at the spermatheca. Consequently, 8 days after copulation, no motile apyrene sperm are found. The high proportion of apyrene sperm in the spermatophore, as well as in sperm migration, suggests that the production and migration of apyrene sperm is not simply an evolutionary vestigial trait. The possible functions of apyrene sperm in monandrous species are discussed.     

Sperm transfer during mating, movement of sperm in the female reproductive tract, and sperm precedence in the common cutworm Spodoptera litura

Abstract. Mating behaviour, sperm transfer and sperm precedence were studied in the moth Spodoptera litura (Fabr.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). There existed a rhythmic, diel pattern of mating behaviour of this moth during the scotophase, presumably set with respect to an endogenous activity rhythm. Approximately 30 min after copulation had started, the formation of the corpus of the spermatophore began in the bursa copulatrix of the female moth, but full inflation of the corpus was not completed until 45–60 min after mating had started. The mature spermatophore contained about 350 eupyrene sperm bundles and a large number of individual (loose) apyrene spermatozoa. The mating status and the age of the male insect influenced the number of sperm transferred to the female within the spermatophore, and also affected the consequent fertility. There was no evidence of sperm reflux within the male tract. Within the female, dissociation of eupyrene sperm bundles was evident within the spermatophore less than 15 min after the completion of mating. Spermatozoa began to move from the bursa (in which the spermatophore is lodged) into the spermatheca 30–45 min after the end of the copulation, and the quantity of sperm in the spermatheca reached a plateau at 90 min after mating. Apyrene sperm reached the spermatheca first, followed by eupyrene sperm. Examination of total (apyrene plus eupyrene) sperm in the female tract showed that 86% of mated females received an apparently normal amount of total sperm from the male. Examination of eupyrene sperm alone showed that 81% of matings resulted in an apparently normal transfer of eupyrene sperm. A small proportion (approximately 8%) of the matings, however, were identified as transferring a clearly subnormal quantity of eupyrene sperm to the spermatheca. The eggs produced as a result of such pairings displayed much reduced fertility (about 43%) compared to those from matings confirmed to have transferred normal quantities of sperm, which showed about 92% fertility. This shows that the availability of eupyrene sperm in the spermatheca may be an important constraint on fertility in normal populations of insects. In the laboratory, S. litura females exhibited multiple matings. Of the females, 93% mated, and the mean frequency of mating was 1.69. Mating with a fertile male led to the oviposition of an increased number of eggs. This effect continued even when the female subsequently mated with an infertile male. Displacement of sperm from previous matings is known to be an important factor in the evolution of multiple mating strategies. Our results on sperm utilization by S. litura indicated that after a second mating, the sperm utilized for subsequent fertilization were almost exclusively from the last mating with little mixing. The proportion of eggs fertilized by sperm from the second mating (P₂) was calculated as 0.95, indicating almost complete sperm precedence from the last mating.     

Activity of sperm and fertility in the potato moth, Phthorimaea operculella

In this investigation, two kinds of sperm (apyrene and eupyrene) were found in the potato moth. At each mating, a single spermatophore containing both types of sperm was passed to the female. Sperm storage was observed in males in the duplex and in the females in the spermatheca. The fertility of eggs was greater than 90 per cent. Sperm survival in females was from one to 12 days after mating, as determined by egg hatching. Parthenogenesis was absent.     

Ovoviviparity and genital evolution: a lesson from an earwig species with coercive traumatic mating and accidental breakage of elongated intromittent organs

Ovoviviparity or viviparity has evolved independently in animals and involves adaptations in females to accommodate developing embryos for a prolonged duration in their bodies, a condition which has likely to have influenced the evolution of the male genitalia. We aimed to ascertain whether the elongated male genitalia of the ovoviviparous free‐living earwig species Marava arachidis (Dermaptera: Spongiphoridae) delivers sperm directly to the female ovaries where fertilization occurs. Males mated coercively with females by grabbing the female antenna with their mouth parts. Although females resisted the mating attempts, pairs mated 3.3 times on average over 15 h. The elongated intromittent organ, known as a virga, was inserted into the long‐tubed spermatheca during insemination. Surgical ectomy of the spermatheca confirmed that sperm migrated from here to the ovaries with a variable delay. A pair of sclerites in the male genitalia frequently inflicted wounds near the spermathecal opening, while the single, thin virga sometimes broke off during mating. However, unlike earwigs bearing a ‘spare’ virga, damage was restricted to the tip of the virga, without which the males could still inseminate the females. We discuss the evolution of the genitalia in this insect in the light of sexual selection and sexual conflict over mating and fertilization.     

Sperm storage by spermatodoses in the spermatheca of Trioza alacris (Flor, 1861) hemiptera,psylloidea, triozidae: A structural and ultrastructural study

Female insects generally store sperm received during mating in specific organs of their reproductive tract, i.e., the spermathecae, which keep the sperm alive for a long time until fertilization occurs. We investigated spermatheca morphology and ultrastructure in the psylloidean insect Trioza alacris (Flor, 1861 ) in which spheroidal sperm packets that we refer to as ‘spermatodoses’ are found after mating. The ectoderm‐derived epithelium of the sac‐shaped spermatheca that has a proximal neck, consists of large secretory and flat cuticle‐forming cells. Secretory cells are characterized by a wide extracellular cavity, bordered by microvilli, in which electron‐dense secretion accumulates before discharge into the spermathecal lumen. The cuticle‐forming cells produce the cuticular intima of the organ and a peculiar specialized apical structure, through which secretion flows into the lumen. At mating, the male transfers bundles of sperm cells embedded in seminal fluid into the spermathecal neck. Sperm cells proceed towards the spermathecal sac lumen, where they are progressively compacted and surrounded with an envelope that also encloses secretions of both male and female origin. We describe the formation of these sperm containing structures and document the contribution of the female secretion to spermatodose or female‐determined spermatophore construction. We also discuss the choice of the term ‘spermatodose’ for T. alacris and suggest it be used to refer to sperm masses constructed in the female reproductive organs, at least when they involve the contribution of female secretion. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Reproductive costs of mating with a sibling male: sperm depletion and multiple mating in Cephalonomia hyalinipennis

Polygynous parasitoid males may be limited by the amount of sperm they can transmit to females, which in turn may become sperm limited. In this study, I tested the effect of male mating history on copula duration, female fecundity, and offspring sex ratio, and the likelihood that females will have multiple mates, in the gregarious parasitoid Cephalonomia hyalinipennis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae: Epyrinae), a likely candidate for sperm depletion due to its local mate competition system. Males were eager to mate with the seven females presented in rapid succession. Copula duration did not differ with male mating history, but latency before a first mating was significantly longer than before consecutive matings. Male mating history had no bearing on female fecundity (number of offspring), but significantly influenced offspring sex ratio. The last female to mate with a given male produced significantly more male offspring than the first one, and eventually became sperm depleted. In contrast, the offspring sex ratio of first‐mated females was female biased, denoting a high degree of sex allocation control. Once‐mated females, whether sperm‐depleted or not, accepted a second mating after a period of oviposition. Sperm‐depleted females resumed production of fertilized eggs after a second mating. Young, recently mated females also accepted a second mating, but extended in‐copula courtship was observed. Carrying out multiple matings in this species thus seems to reduce the cost of being constrained to produce only haploid males after accepting copulation with a sperm‐depleted male. I discuss the reproductive fitness costs that females experience when mating solely with their sibling males and the reproductive fitness gain of males that persist in mating, even when almost sperm‐depleted. Behavioural observations support the hypothesis that females monitor their sperm stock. It is concluded that C. hyalinipennis is a species with a partial local mating system.