Nice work, MiaNeil Hulme wrote:This morning (31 July) I released two adult female Vapourer Moths at Springhead Hill
A few thoughts to add to this - 1) Males emerge earlier than females, but I'm not sure what the "delta" between emergence times is for the Vapourer, but that would reduce in-breeding, possibly to the extent that there is none, 2) If there is overlap in emergence times then the second and subsequent matings could also be siblings! ... and 3) The females will also benefit from the "nuptial gift" (various nutrients) that are passed from male to female, along with the necessary I guess it's all down to probabilities ... someone should look into this!Neil Hulme wrote:Mating with more than one male appears to be a method of ensuring that genetic diversity is maintained. As the females are flightless, and don't ever move more than a centimetre or two after hatching, it is quite likely that the first male she mates with is a sibling.
Cheers,
- Pete