DOI: 10.5061/dryad.pk0p2ngxw
title: Data from: Male mate guarding in a polyandrous and sexually cannibalistic praying mantid

description: Sexually cannibalized males incur a significant fitness cost due to the
 loss of future mating opportunities and are expected to evolve behaviors
 to avoid or compensate for such costs. For example, partially cannibalized
 males may exhibit mate guarding, in which they accompany the female to
 prevent her from mating with another male. In some species, cannibalized
 males prolong the duration of copulation. However, little is known about
 the adaptive significance of the mating behavior of sexually cannibalized
 males. We hypothesized that mating itself serves a mate guarding function,
 and that behavioral change caused by cannibalism enhances the mate
 guarding function. We tested these hypotheses using the polyandrous and
 sexually cannibalistic praying mantid Tenodera angustipennis, with
 decapitation as a model of sexual cannibalism. We compared latencies to
 female mating with a rival male among three experimental treatments:
 unmated treatment, noncannibalistic mating treatment, and cannibalistic
 mating treatment. Mating itself delayed female remating, revealing its
 function in mate guarding. Decapitated males exhibited a higher guarding
 efficiency against rival males via firmer genital coupling. In addi- tion,
 spermatophore attached to the female genital opening also delayed female
 remating, revealing an additional function in postmating mate guarding.
 Although copulation was prolonged due to decapitation, mating by a rival
 male was not delayed compared to noncannibalistic mating, probably because
 of weaker postcopulatory guarding. These findings suggest that greater
 mate guarding by decapitated males during copulation was offset by
 processes after copulation.
description: # Male mate guarding in a polyandrous and sexually cannibalistic praying
 mantid
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pk0p2ngxw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pk0p2ngxw) ## Description of the data and file structure Brief summary of dataset contents, contextualized in experimental procedures and results. Behavioral data of mating experiment (mating_experiment.csv) and count data of sperm transfer analysis (sperm_count.csv) mating_experiment.csv: Behavioral data in the mating experiment. README_mating_experiment.txt: Explanation for mating_experiment.csv. sperm_count.csv: sperm counts in the analysis of sperm transfer dynamics. README_sperm.txt: Explanation for sperm_count.csv. missing data code: na. Author names and contact details: Hiroto Nishino1, Kotaro Morimoto1, Kazuki Kuroda1, and Yasuoki Takami1 1 Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Tsurukabuto 3-11, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan Title of the study: Male mate guarding in a polyandrous and sexually cannibalistic praying mantid Brief summary of the study: Sexually cannibalized males of the polyandrous praying mantid Tenodera angustipennis were found to strengthen genital coupling and extend copulation, and to attain a similar degree of mate guarding compared to uncannibalized males. Data responsibility: H. N., K. M., K. K. and Y. T. performed field sampling. H. N. collected behavioral data (mating_experiment.csv). K. M. collected sperm count data (sperm_count.csv). ### Files and variables #### File: sperm\_count.csv **Description:**  the results of the analysis of sperm transfer dynamics for Tenodera angustipennis. ##### Variables * treatment: experimental treatment about the timing of fixing mating pairs (interrupted, copulation finished, spermatophore detached, and cannibalized). * fix_time: time from the start of copulation to fixation (min). * sp_spt: the number of sperm transferred to the spermatheca. * sp_sph: the number of sperm remained in the spermatophore. #### File: mating\_experiment.csv **Description:**  the results of the mating experiment for Tenodera angustipennis. ##### Variables * year: the year of experiment. * treatment: experimental treatment (unmated, noncannibalistic, and cannibalistic). * size_guard_m: length of pronotum of guarding male (mm). * condition_guard_male: body condition {(body weight of guarding male)^1/3 / length of pronotum} of rival male. * size_rival_m: length of pronotum of rival male (mm). * condition_rival_m: body condition {(body weight of rival male)^1/3 / length of pronotum} of rival male. * cop_dur: copulation duration of guarding male (min). * disturb_rival_m: whether rival male touched or mounted mating pair (0: no; 1: yes). * disrupt \_mating: whether mating was disrupted via disturbance by rival male (0: no; 1: yes). * sp_attach: whether spermatophore was attached to the female abdominal terminalia when copulation ended (0: no; 1: yes). * sp_attach_dur: duration of spermatophore attachment (min). * guard_dur: time from onset of copulation by guarding male to onset of copulation by rival male (min). * censoring_guard_dur: whether guard_dur was censored (1) or not (0). * disturb_guard_male: whether guarding male remounted female or pounced on rival male after mating (0: no; 1: yes). * exp_guard_m: previous use of guarding male (0: no; 1: yes). * exp_rival_m: previous use of rival male (0: no; 1: yes).