Female fertility in Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is maximized by polyandry, but reduced by continued male presence

In this paper, the authors quantified female reproductive success and progeny development in Hippodamia convergens using a laboratory experiment designed to test whether male novelty (different males), male mating status (virgin, non-virgin) or opportunities for female mate choice would increase female fitness compared to a similar number of matings with the same male. Daily access to novel males, regardless of their mating status, increased the egg fertility of females, but not their fecundity. Opportunities for mate choice did not improve any measure of female reproductive success compared to arbitrary assignment of males, but slightly increased reproductive rate, as measured by the number of days to produce 15 clutches. The eggs of monogamous females had the fastest eclosion times. In a second experiment, confinement with two males during oviposition disrupted egg clustering and reduced egg fertility, but not female fecundity, relative to confinement with one male or oviposition in solitude, suggesting a negative impact of male harassment on female fitness in the presence of multiple males.