A comparison of female fitness between monogamy and polyandry in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi

Abstract

It is generally thought that females preferentially mate with novel males rather than with males with which they have recently mated and polyandry can lead to greater reproductive success. We first examined female mate preference and then compared mating duration and female fitness between monogamy and polyandry in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi Baly. In a simultaneous choice test, the majority of females remated with familiar males rather than novel males. Mating also lasted longer with familiar males. In a second experiment, monogamous females lived longer than polyandrous females. Although there was no significant difference in egg production between monogamous and polyandrous females, the former produced more viable eggs, with a higher hatching rate. These results suggest that monogamy is more advantageous for female fitness than polyandry in C. bowringi.