Abstract
Summary Variation in the proportions of offspring fathered by a second male to mate (the P2 value) has been studied in two species of grasshoppers, Chorthippus parallelus (Zetterstedt) and Ch. biguttulus (Linnaeus), by means of the sterile-male technique. In both species the P2-values of the first egg pods laid were in the range of 50–100%, and the temporal variation of P2-values appeared to follow two modes. In one, the P2-value steadily declined with time, in the other it remained constant at a high level. It is concluded that sperm is passively lost between two matings. The remaining sperm then either mixes within the spermatheca or is stratified. Further variability in sperm precedence can possibly be explained by spermatophore ejection or differential use of stored sperm.
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