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Behavioral Ecology Vol. 12 No. 6: 773-777
© 2001 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Dart shooting influences paternal reproductive success in the snail Helix aspersa (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora)

Michael A. Landolfaa, David M. Greena,b and Ronald Chasea

a Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada b Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2K6, Canada

Address correspondence to M.A. Landolfa, who is now at Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany. E-mail: landolfa{at}hotmail.com .

Although animal courtship behaviors are generally understood within the context of sexual selection, the relevance of many sexual behaviors to sexual selection, and vice versa, remains unexplained. For example, the adaptive function of the "love dart" used in the precopulatory behavior of hermaphroditic land snails is only now becoming apparent. Contrary to previous assumptions, dart shooting is unlikely to function as a stimulus for copulation. In searching for a more ultimate explanation of the dart's function, we tested whether variation in dart shooting influences reproductive fitness in Helix aspersa. Individual mother snails were mated sequentially to two potential fathers. Dart shooting was closely observed and quantified for all pairings, and percentages of offspring sired by each potential father were determined using allozymes. The results indicate that snails that shoot darts effectively have significantly greater paternal reproductive success than snails that shoot poorly. In contrast, there was no significant effect of mating order on either dart shooting or paternal reproductive success.

Key words: courtship, Helix aspersa, hermaphrodites, land snails, love dart, sexual behavior, sexual selection.


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