Nuptial feeding of spermless spermatophores in the Hawaiian swordtail cricket, Laupala pacifica (Gryllidae: Triginodiinae) |
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Authors: | Tagide N deCarvalho Kerry L Shaw |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-4415, USA |
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Abstract: | Crickets in the genus Laupala (subfamily Trigonidiinae) have an elaborate courtship system, defined by a highly ritualized serial transfer of multiple
spermatophores. Males produce multiple “micro” spermatophores followed by a final “macro” spermatophore during a single mating
bout. Remarkably, the microspermatophores of L. cerasina, the first species whose mating system was studied in detail, were discovered to be spermless. However, in a study of another
species, L. pacifica, sperm transfer was reported after every copulation suggesting that L. pacifica microspermatophores contain sperm. The presence or absence of sperm in the microspermatophore has important implications
for the evolution of this exaggerated courtship system and the origin of nuptial gifts. In this study, we systematically examined
L. pacifica spermatophore contents for sperm using a fluorescent nuclear stain. We detected sperm only in macrospermatophores. This finding
suggests that spermless microspermatophores are typical for Laupala; thus, to determine the origin of this highly modified phenotype will require comparative analyses with closely related outgroups
that exhibit less exaggerated courtship systems. |
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