Refutation of traumatic insemination in the Drosophila bipectinata species complex

Traumatic insemination (TI) is a rare reproductive behaviour characterized by the transfer of sperm to the female via puncture wounds inflicted across her body wall. Here, we challenge the claim made by Kamimura (Kamimura 2007 Biol. Lett. 3, 401–404. (doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0192)) that males of species of the Drosophila bipectinata complex use a pair of claw-like processes (claws) to traumatically inseminate females: the claws are purported to puncture the female body wall and genital tract, and to inject sperm through the wounds into the lumen of her genital tract, bypassing the vaginal opening. This supposed case of TI is widely cited and featured in prominent subject reviews. We examined high-resolution scanning electron micrographs of the claws and failed to discover any obvious ‘groove’ for sperm transport. We demonstrated that sperm occurred in the female reproductive tract as a single-integrated unit, inconsistent with the claim that sperm are injected via paired processes. Laser ablation of the sharp terminal ends of the claws failed to inhibit insemination. We showed that the aedeagus in the complex delivers sperm through the vaginal opening, as in other Drosophila. The results refute the claim of TI in the Drosophila bipectinata species complex.