Sexual activity diminishes male virility in two Coccinella species: consequences for female fertility and progeny development – CORRIGENDUM

Abstract

The publisher apologises for an error in the fourth named author of this article. The author's name should be 'Omkar' only, NOT 'Omkar Singh' as published.

Histology of the spermateca and stored sperm of Tenuisvalvae notata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

“…Male insects can also release mineral compounds, water, ions and other allomones in their ejaculates during copulation (Michaud et al, 2013), as well as secondary compounds that are precursors of prostaglandins (Worthington et al, 2015). These compounds may exert various functions in insect physiology such as acting as oviposition stimulants, speeding the development of ovarioles and egg maturation in females (Shahid et al, 2016), or inhibiting new copulations to increase paternity certainty (Michaud et al, 2013). The latter may not apply to T. notata because it can mate multiple times along the day with different males.…”

“…In this context, some of the increase in insect fitness is at least partially a result of the ability of many females to store seminal material in the spermatheca, with the aim of ensuring egg fertilization during the reproductive period (Pascini & Martins, 2016). Besides gametes, material stored in the spermatheca is composed of minerals and water, as well as allomones, secondary metabolites precursors of prostaglandins and proteins (Pascini et al, 2012;Michaud et al, 2013;Worthington et al, 2015). Evolutionarily speaking, some of its properties may contribute to use of the spermatheca as a storage organ, including the certainty of future egg fertilization when males are absent, as well as with respect to the potential source of nutrient transfer by males during mating (Thornhill & Alcock, 1983).…”

Polyandry restores female fertility and paternal effects diminished by inbreeding in Hippodamia convergens

“…Developmental time can be influenced by both maternal and paternal effects in the Coccinellidae, which raises the possibility of interactions between the two. The strength of epigenetic paternal signals in accelerating larval development (and simultaneously stimulating female fecundity and fertility) can be increased by extending the period of male virginity prior to mating, which permits accumulation of the male epigenetic signal, or decreased by repeated matings, which depletes it (Michaud et al, 2013;Mirhosseini et al, 2014). In H. convergens, maternal effects change in a fixed pattern over time such that offspring produced later in life tend to have faster development (Vargas et al, 2012a,b), which accounts for the faster pupation and overall development of 10th clutches compared with first ones in the present results.…”

“…However, it is possible that polyandry also has epigenetic consequences for offspring phenotype development, which could be mediated by maternal effects (Fox & Mousseau, 1998;Marshall et al, 2008;Shea et al, 2011;Vargas et al, 2012aVargas et al, ,2012b. Paternal effects are also recognised, especially in insects (Hunt & Simmons, 2000;Bonduriansky & Head, 2007;Michaud et al, 2013;Mirhosseini et al, 2014). In the context of polyandry, paternal effects introduce an additional source of variation in offspring quality with the potential to influence sexually selected traits (Qvarnstrom & Price, 2001) and the possibility of interesting consequences for polyandrous females.…”

Unbalanced polyandry in wild-caught ladybirds Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

“…For instance, in Coccinella transversalis Fabricius, progeny of virgin males had higher rates of survival (hatching rate of eggs and larval survival) than progeny of five times mated males (Michaud et al 2013).…”