The optimal number of mating partners for females rarely coincides with
that for males, leading to sexual conflict over mating frequency. In the bruchid beetle
Callosobruchus maculatus , the fitness consequences to females of engaging in
multiple copulations are complex, with studies demonstrating both costs and benefits
to multiple mating. However, females kept continuously with males have a lower
lifetime egg production compared with females mated only once and then isolated
from males. This reduction in fitness may be a result of damage caused by male
genitalia, which bear spines that puncture the female‘s reproductive tract, and/or
toxic elements in the ejaculate. However, male harassment rather than costs of
matings themselves could also explain the results. In the present study, the fitness
costs of male harassment for female C. maculatus are estimated. The natural refractory
period of females immediately after their first mating is used to separate the cost of
harassment from the cost of mating. Male harassment results in females laying fewer
eggs and this results in a tendency to produce fewer offspring. The results are
discussed in the context of mate choice and sexual selection
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