Sexual Conflict in Bed Bugs

Ectoparasite

A parasite that lives on a host but does not enter the host's body.

Sexual conflict

Contradicting optimal reproductive fitness strategies between sexes.

Sexually antagonistic coevolution

Males and females of a species evolve structures and behaviors in response to sexual conflict, that strengthen their own fitness strategies, regardless of the effect on the opposite sex.

Extragenital traumatic insemination

Occurs in bed bugs; a male perforates the female's abdomen and introduces sperm directly into her body cavity (not her reproductive tract). The sperm moves through her hemolymph (blood) to reach the reproductive tract and fertilize eggs.

Paramere

Male aedeagus, or penile structure.

Spermalege

Structure found in female bed bugs that evolved to reduce damage of traumatic insemination.

Last-male sperm precedence

Last male to deposit sperm is more successful at fertilizing eggs, possibly because they incapacitate the previous ones, or displace the previous ones, or end up on top of the previous ones ( last in-first out=stratification)

Aggregation

Group; gathering