Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1993 May 15;90(10):4689-92.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.10.4689.

Postcopulatory sexual selection in an arctiid moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)

C W LaMunyon  1 , T Eisner
Affiliations

Postcopulatory sexual selection in an arctiid moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)

C W LaMunyon et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

The offspring of twice-mated female Utetheisa ornatrix show low incidence of mixed paternity. Most progeny are sired exclusively by one male, the larger one, irrespective of parental age, male pyrrolizidine alkaloid content, mating order, between-mating interval, or duration of copulation. Data are presented suggesting that the female herself may exert control over the process by which one set of sperm is utilized at the expense of the other. Evidence for such postcopulatory female choice of sperm had not previously been obtained for an insect. Promiscuity provides the female with a means for accruing nuptial gifts (nutrients, defensive alkaloids). Sperm selection provides her with the option of utilizing sperm from larger, potentially more fit, males.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Oct 15;88(20):9224-7 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Aug;85(16):5992-6 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources