Do females control the duration of copulation in the aposematic millipede Centrobolus inscriptus?

Abstract

Studies on the sexually dimorphic aposematic millipede Centrobolus inscriptus are providing new insight into mating behaviour and ecology of arthropods. The previous studies on control of mate-guarding in the spirostreptid millipede Doratogonus (=Alloporus) uncinatus proved males control the duration of copulation. Here we review 18 studies on Centrobolus inscriptus and test the null hypothesis: females do not control the duration of copulation. In all the studies of Centrobolus there is no evidence for male control of copulation duration but female control. By protracting the time spent with each male females mediate sperm competition and contracts the re-mating interval which is known to affect sperm competition which ultimately affects paternity.