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Traumatic insemination and sexual conflict in the bed bug Cimex lectularius

A D Stutt1, M T Siva-Jothy

  • 1Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|May 2, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Bed bugs use traumatic insemination, a harmful mating strategy. This method leads to last-male sperm precedence and reduced female longevity and reproductive success, indicating a sexual conflict.

Area of Science:

  • Entomology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Reproductive Biology

Background:

  • Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) exhibit traumatic insemination, a unique and violent reproductive strategy.
  • This insemination involves the male piercing the female's abdominal wall to inseminate her hemocoel.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the consequences of traumatic insemination in bed bugs.
  • To determine its impact on sperm precedence, female remating, fertility, longevity, and reproductive success.

Main Methods:

  • Controlled experiments under natural conditions to observe traumatic insemination frequency and timing.
  • Analysis of sperm precedence, remating rates, female fertility, longevity, and reproductive output.

Main Results:

  • Traumatic insemination was frequent and temporally restricted under experimental conditions.
  • Demonstrated last-male sperm precedence following traumatic insemination.
  • Observed suboptimal remating frequencies, reduced female longevity, and decreased reproductive success in females subjected to this mating method.

Conclusions:

  • Traumatic insemination in bed bugs is likely a coercive male strategy.
  • This reproductive tactic creates a sexual conflict, benefiting males at the expense of female fitness.

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