DIFFERENTIAL USE OF STORED SPERM DURING OVIPOSITION IN THE DAMSELFLY CALOPTERYX SPLENDENS XANTHOSTOMA (CHARPENTIER)

Female Calopteryx splendens xanthostoma (Charpentier) (Odonata), have two discrete sperm storage organs, the bursa copulatrix and the paired spermathecae. We used the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA(RAPD) prof iling technique to determine from which sperm storage organ spermatozo a were used to fertilise eggs during behaviourally distinct ovipositio n bouts. During oviposition bouts following remating sperm from the bu rsa copulatrix are largely used to fertilise eggs, but when females av oid remating before an oviposition bout the sperm used to fertilise eg gs are derived mainly from the paired spermathecae. Our observations s uggest that female C. s. xanthostoma can avoid male paternity assuranc e mechanisms by a combination of behavioural and anatomical adaptation : the reason(s) they do so is unclear.