# Copulation Duration and Sperm Precedence with Reference to Larval Diapause Induction in Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

## TL;DR

The study examines how mating behavior and sperm competition in a beetle species may affect the spread of pine wilt disease.

## Contribution

The study quantifies sperm precedence and larval diapause rates in hybrid beetles, providing insights into disease transmission risks.

## Key findings

- A single copulation of over 65 seconds provides enough sperm for a female's lifetime egg production.
- Remating with a different subspecies increases larval diapause rates in offspring.
- Second-male sperm contributes approximately 18-22% to fertilization in T females.

## Abstract

Adults of the long-horned beetle Monochamus alternatus transmit a small worm, called the pinewood nematode, which causes pine wilt disease. A beetle subspecies in Taiwan (abbreviated ‘T’) has two generations a year (bivoltinism) due to facultative diapause, whereas another subspecies in Japan (abbreviated ‘J’) has a one- or two-year life cycle due to obligate diapause. T, with two infection periods a year, will cause more severe disease epidemics if it is introduced into Japan. Inter-subspecies hybridization is expected to inhibit the expression of bivoltinism because many hybrids induce diapause. To predict the effects of introducing T into Japan, the present study investigated copulation duration and the effects of the mating order of males on egg fertilization. The results indicated that a single copulation for more than 65 s supplied sufficient sperm to fertilize a lifetime production of eggs. When T females mated with a T male, the incidence of larval diapause for offspring was 0.15 and increased to 0.31 after females remated with a J male. Consequently, the proportion of second-male sperm used by T females was estimated to be 0.20. The effects of introducing T populations into Japan on the severity of disease epidemics were also discussed.

Adults of the pine sawyer Monochamus alternatus are the primary vector of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causative agent of pine wilt disease. A sawyer subspecies in Taiwan (abbreviated ‘T’) has two generations a year (bivoltinism) due to facultative diapause, whereas another subspecies in Japan (abbreviated ‘J’) has a one- or two-year life cycle due to obligate diapause. T, with two infection periods a year, will cause more severe disease epidemics than J if it is introduced into Japan. Inter-subspecies hybridization may inhibit the expression of bivoltinism because many F1 hybrids induce diapause. To predict the effects of introducing T into Japan, the present study investigated copulation duration and late-male sperm precedence to fertilize eggs. The results indicated that a single copulation for more than 65 s supplied sufficient sperm to fertilize a lifetime production of eggs. The incidence of larval diapause was 0.15 for the offspring of T females that mated with a T male and increased to 0.292–0.333 after remating with a J male, while the incidence of larval diapause was 0.900–1.000 for hybrids from T females mated with a J male. Consequently, the estimated proportion of second-male sperm used by T females was 0.185–0.217. The effects of introducing T populations into Japan on the severity of disease epidemics were also discussed.