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Mating behaviour and spermatophore morphology: a comparative test of the female-choice hypothesis

Canadian Journal of Zoology, ISSN: 0008-4301, Vol: 73, Issue: 11, Page: 2010-2020
1995
  • 10
    Citations
  • 0
    Usage
  • 31
    Captures
  • 0
    Mentions
  • 0
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    10
    • Citation Indexes
      10
  • Captures
    31

Article Description

Complex, species-specific morphology of genitalia or "paragenitalia' such as spermatophores is traditionally considered an adaptation to prevent heterospecific matings. Eberhard argued against this lock-and-key hypothesis and suggested that elaborate male genitalia evolve through female preference for increased tactile stimulation. He found support for this argument in a cross-taxon comparison of spermatophore complexity among species with different degrees of contact between the sexes during spermatophore transfer. After expanding Eberhard's list of species, the authors tested the female-choice hypothesis with appropriate controls for phylogeny. Results uphold the conclusion that the lock-and-key hypothesis does not explain the distribution of spermatophore complexity among taxa, but they do not clearly support female choice as an alternative explanation. Other factors that may influence spermatophore complexity include environmental stress and whether spermatophores are deposited on a substrate. -from Authors

Bibliographic Details

Heather C. Proctor; Robert L. Baker; Darryl T. Gwynne

Canadian Science Publishing

Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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