Zoological Studies

Evidence of Female Preference for Older Males in Drosophila bipectinata

Krishnashetty Somashekar and Mysore Siddaiah Krishna (2011) Male age influence on mating success was studied using 3 geographic strains of Drosophila bipectinata. When investigating 3 age classes of males, it was noted that females preferred to mate with the older of 2 males more frequently than with the younger one. A non-significant difference was also noted in the mean wing length between the selected and rejected males by females in a female-choice experiment. Old males mated faster, copulated longer, and inseminated more females in a given unit of time than did young or intermediate-aged males. Furthermore, females mated with older males had shorter lifespan compared to females mated with young and intermediate-aged males. These studies suggest that irrespective of geographic strain, D. bipectinata females prefer to mate with older males, and the older of the 2 competing males had a greater mating advantage in terms of inter-male success, mated faster, and inseminating more females in a given unit of time compared to young and intermediate-aged males. Females mating with older males lived a shorter time than females mating with young and intermediate-aged males.