A matter of taste: direct detection of female mating status in the bedbug.
Males of the bedbug, Cimex lectularius, traumatically inseminate females by inserting a needle-like intromittent organ (penis) through the female's abdominal wall after she has fed. We demonstrate that: (i) mating duration determines ejaculate size; (ii) a female's first copulation in a bout of copulations always lasts longer than subsequent copulations; (iii) the intromittent organ bears sensillae; (iv) males use their intromittent organ to 'taste' whether their current mate has recently copulated; and (v) the consequence of detecting female mating status is the reduction of copulation duration and ejaculate size. We discuss why male bedbugs might show this pattern of ejaculate-size adjustment.
Siva-Jothy
Michael T
MT
Evolution and Behaviour Group, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK. m.siva-jothy@sheffield.ac.uk
Stutt
Alistair D
AD
D000818:Animals; D001511:Bedbugs / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology