Male mate choice in Trichogramma turkestanica

Martel, V.;Damiens, David;Boivin, Guy
(2008) Journal of Insect Behavior — Vol. 21, n° 2, p. 63-71 (2008)

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Authors
  • Martel, V.
    Author
  • Damiens, DavidUCLouvain
    Author
  • Boivin, GuyUCLouvain
    Author
Abstract
In most animals it is the sex that invests the most in reproduction, generally the female, that expresses mate choice. However, in numerous species, males or both males and females are choosy. We investigated mate choice in males of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma turkestanica Meyer (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). We tested the impact of age and feeding status of males on their capacity to choose between virgin or mated and kin or non-kin females. As expected, males showed no preference between kin and non-kin mates, but inseminated virgin females over mated ones. No effect of age on the level of choosiness was found, but unfed males were choosier than fed ones. This is the first study to show an effect of feeding status of males on mate choice in insect parasitoids.
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Martel, V., Damiens, D., & Boivin, G. (2008). Male mate choice in Trichogramma turkestanica. Journal of Insect Behavior, 21(2), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-007-9107-y (Original work published 2008)