The data from S. danae (cf. N.K. MICHIELS, 1992, Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 29: 429-435) showed that the last male’s fertilization precedence, P,, changes irregularly with time between copulation and oviposition, but no systematic trend was found at that time. These data were now re-analyzed with a more appropriate statistical tool (GLIM), and it was found that P increases with time between copulation and oviposition. This suggests that the first male’s sperm initially has a positional advantage to fertilize the eggs. This advantage decreases, probably due to slow sperm mixing, and the precedence of the second male increases. This is the first odon. sp. for which the second male’s sperm is shown to have a positional advantage.

Odonatologica

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Societas Internationalis Odonatologica

E. Nuyts, & N.K. Michiels. (1996). High last-male sperm precedence despite unfavourable positioning of sperm in the bursa copulatrix of Sympetrum danae (Sulzer) (Anisoptera: Libellulidae). Odonatologica, 25(1), 79–82.