Male indifference to female traits in an arctiid moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)

1. Female Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) mate selectively with large males able to transmit sizeable quantities of nutrient and defensive pyrrolizidine alkaloid with the spermatophore. The female gauges male size indirectly by assessment of the male's courtship pheromone. 2. Male U...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological entomology 2004-06, Vol.29 (3), p.281-284
Main Authors: Iyengar, V.K, Eisner, T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Arctiidae
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
body size
body weight
chemical composition
female quality
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
insect mating preferences
male mate choice
males
mating behavior
mating status
moths
Nuptial gift
nuptial gifts
Protozoa. Invertebrata
pyrrolizidine alkaloid
pyrrolizidine alkaloids
sexual selection
spermatophore
spermatophores
Utetheisa ornatrix
virgin females
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Summary:1. Female Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) mate selectively with large males able to transmit sizeable quantities of nutrient and defensive pyrrolizidine alkaloid with the spermatophore. The female gauges male size indirectly by assessment of the male's courtship pheromone. 2. Male Utetheisa invest upward of 10% of body mass in spermatophore production, and could therefore have been expected to be choosy; however, when offered females differing in alkaloid content, body mass, or mating status, males showed disregard of these parameters, both in their choice of partner and in their allocation of resources to the spermatophore. 3. It is concluded that Utetheisa males do not have the option to select females by comparison shopping. Females broadcast their attractant pheromone for less than an hour per day. Given this time constraint and the potentially high cost of mate localisation, males may have no choice but to mate on an opportunistic basis.
ISSN:0307-6946
1365-2311
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2311.2004.0593.x