Costs and benefits of mating in the grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus (Caelifera : Acrididae)

Fitness consequences of different levels of mating benefits, viz., (1) virg in, (2) seldom mated, (3) free mating chances with the same male throughout the female's life span, and (4) free mating chances with three males alway s offered, were investigated in female meadow grasshoppers Chorthippus para llelus. No differences among the treatments were apparent in egg number per pod, total egg number per female, and hatching success of larvae. Seldom-m ated females had offspring with the heaviest average larval dry weight. We did not find costs of mating in terms of reduced female longevity and resid ual dry weight between the treatments.