Male control of copulation duration in Ciulfina praying mantids (Insecta Mantodea)

While copulation serves primarily to allow the transfer of male gametes, the duration of copulation often exceeds that required for successful sperm transfer. One path to elucidate the processes occurring during prolonged copulations is to determine the extent of male and female influence over copulation duration. Here I address the issue of relative male and female influence over copulation duration using a cross-species mating experiment between three species of praying mantis from the genus Ciulfina. Male species identity significantly influenced copulation duration in interspecific crosses, whereas female species identity and the interaction between male and female identity had no such influence. These results show that males exhibit greater influence over copulation duration than females in Ciulfina praying mantids and shed light on some previously observed patterns of mating behaviour within this genus.