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Traumatic insemination and sexual conflict in the bed bug Cimex lectularius

2001; National Academy of Sciences; Volume: 98; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1073/pnas.101440698

1091-6490

Alastair David Stutt, Michael T. Siva‐Jothy,

Animal Behavior and Reproduction

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius , has a unique mode of copulation termed “traumatic” insemination [Carayon, J. (1966) in Monograph of the Cimicidae , ed. Usinger, R. (Entomol. Soc. Am., Philadelphia), pp. 81–167] during which the male pierces the female's abdominal wall with his external genitalia and inseminates into her body cavity [Carayon, J. (1966) in Monograph of the Cimicidae , ed. Usinger, R. (Entomol. Soc. Am., Philadelphia), pp. 81–167]. Under controlled natural conditions, traumatic insemination was frequent and temporally restricted. We show for the first time, to our knowledge, that traumatic insemination results in ( i ) last-male sperm precedence, ( ii ) suboptimal remating frequencies for the maintenance of female fertility, and ( iii ) reduced longevity and reproductive success in females. Experimental females did not receive indirect benefits from multiple mating. We conclude that traumatic insemination is probably a coercive male copulatory strategy that results in a sexual conflict of interests.