The darting game in snails and slugs.
Love darts are hard 'needles' that many snails and slugs use to pierce their partner during mating. In a few species, darts have been shown to play a role in sperm competition. Two new papers, by Davison et al., and Koene and Schulenburg, might further pique researchers' interest, because they show how the full potential of darts can be tapped for studies of sexual selection in hermaphrodites.
Schilthuizen
Menno
M
Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked Bag 2073, 88999 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. schilthuizen@yahoo.com