Mating preference is mating system and relatedness dependent in the ladybird beetle, Menochilus sexmaculatus

Abstract

AbstractMate choice results from the sensory or behavioural properties that cause individuals to mate with some phenotypes and not others. It can result in direct or indirect (genetic) benefits. Mate choice can also be influenced by various abiotic and biotic factors including the mating system. Here, we investigated how the mating system of the ladybird, Menochilus sexmaculatus, influences mate choice and also affects the time of commencement of mating, copulation duration, fecundity and percent egg viability. We also tested whether mate choice is dynamically affected by relatedness. We found that monandrous and polyandrous females both preferred polyandrous rather than monandrous males. In contrast, males preferred monandrous females over polyandrous females. However, females preferred unrelated monogynous males which were earlier rejected over related polygynous and males preferred unrelated polyandrous females over related monandrous females. Mating system and relatedness also impacted time to commence mating and copulation duration, fecundity and percent egg viability. This will help us to understand precisely why these shifts occur, which will be the subject of future study.