COURTSHIP FEEDING IN DECORATED CRICKETS - IS THE SPERMATOPHYLAX A SHAM

The spermatophore transferred by a male decorated cricket, Gryllodes s igillatus, at mating includes a large gelatinous spermatophylax, devoi d of sperm, which the female removes and feeds on after copulation. Pr evious studies have shown that consumption of the spermatophylax keeps the female preoccupied while sperm from the remaining portion of the spermatophore is expelled into her reproductive tract; hence, the sper matophylax functions to ensure complete sperm transfer. To determine w hether consumption of the spermatophylax also provides significant nut ritional benefits to females and whether such benefits are contingent on food availability, female G. sigillatus were allowed to consume zer o, one, or three spermatophylaxes per day and were either deprived bf food, fed 30% of ad libitum food demands, or allowed unrestricted acce ss to food (Purina(R) cricket chow). The number of spermatophylaxes co nsumed by females had no significant effect on the mass of eggs or num ber of nymphs produced, and there was no significant interaction betwe en the number of spermatophylaxes consumed and food availability. Alth ough there may be other benefits to its consumption, the present study suggests that as a food 'gift', the spermatophylax is a sham.