Female Phalangium opilio use fellatio to compensate sexual avoidance

Abstract

Sexual conflict arises from differences in reproductive interests between the sexes. We allowed the female harvestman Phalangium opilio to sequentially mate with two different males to examine female sexual receptivity in this species. Virgin females were more sexually receptive than non-virgins. Males exhibited a high interest in repeated copulations with the same female, often engaging in aggressive behaviours such as biting and reversed sexual cannibalism. Fellatio, a behaviour in which females lick the male’s penis, was observed in 44% of trials and was associated with female unwillingness to mate and shorter copulation duration. Fellatio was repeatable, suggesting that it is influenced by individual characteristics or underlying physiological factors. Female lifespan was negatively correlated with the total number of eggs produced, suggesting a trade-off between reproduction and longevity. These findings provide evidence of the appearance of fellatio, a female mating strategy that evolved as compensation of avoiding unwanted sexual intercourse. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-77209-9.