Mate-guarding success depends on male investment in a butterfly.

ABSTRACT: Males of many insects, including butterflies, produce mate-guarding devices, such as mating plugs, to prolong guarding and prevent future female matings in the male's absence. In a few butterflies, large external mate-guarding devices, that is, sphragides, occur. Gór et al. (Behaviour, 160, 2023 and 515-557) found conspicuously large size and morphological variation of mate-guarding devices within a single population of the potentially polyandrous Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne, L.) butterfly. They termed the externally visible male-produced devices as Copulatory opening APpendices (CAP) consisting of small devices, termed small CAPs and the much larger shield (i.e. sphragis). Our aim was to reveal CAP replacement dynamics within females during their lifetime and to und

SUBMITTER: Gor A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10505759 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature