The copulatory behaviour of Cruznema lambdiense (Nematoda: Rhabditidae)

Abstract

Studies on the copulatory behaviour of Cruznema lambdiense revealed that copulation involved three distinct steps : i) attachment of male to female and localization of the vulva, ii) penetration by the spicules and iii) insemination. The bursa aided in gripping the female while the spicules located the vulval opening, but did not take part in channelizing the sperms from the male to the female reproductive tracts. Females continued feeding during copulation. The mean number of copulations per day varied from 3 to 7.2 and the sperms transferred per day from 61 to 176. On an average, 20-33 sperms were transferred per copulation per day. In its life span, a male copulated 15-32 times and transferred a total of 517-754 sperms. When males were isolated for more than two days, both the number of copulations and the number of sperms transferred decreased. As the isolation period of the males increased, the time required for the first copulation also increased.