While competing males and choosy females may be common in animal mating systems, male choice can evolve under certain conditions. Sexual cannibalism is such a condition because of the high mortality risk for males. In mantids, female body condition is associated with male mate preference, with fat females preferred, due to at least two reasons: females in poor nutritional condition are likely to attack and predate males, and fat females can potentially increase the number of offspring. Thus, the risk of cannibalism and female fecundity can influence male mating behavior. In this study, we attempted to separate these factors by using the praying mantid Tenodera angustipennis to examine whether male preference for fat female mantids was based on avoiding sexual cannibalism (cannibalism avoidance hypothesis) or preference for female fecundity (fecundity preference hypothesis). The feeding regimes were experimentally manipulated to discriminate between the effects of female fecundity and female hunger status on male and female mating behaviors. We found that recently starved females more frequently locomoted toward the male, and that male abdominal bending was less intensive and escape was sooner from recently starved females. These female and male behavioral responses to female hunger condition may reveal male avoidance of dangerous females in this mantid.

中文翻译：

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性同类相食物种的雄性配偶选择：雄性从祈祷螳螂中的饥饿雌性中逃脱

虽然竞争性雄性和挑剔的雌性在动物交配系统中很常见，但雄性选择可以在某些条件下进化。性同类相食之所以如此，是因为男性的死亡风险很高。在螳螂中，雌性身体状况与雄性交配偏好有关，肥胖雌性更受青睐，原因至少有两个：营养状况不佳的雌性可能会攻击并早于雄性，而肥胖的雌性可能会增加后代的数量。因此，同类相食的风险和雌性繁殖力会影响雄性交配行为。在这项研究中，我们试图通过使用祈祷螳螂 Tenodera angustipennis 来分离这些因素，以检查雄性对肥胖雌性螳螂的偏好是基于避免性同类相食（避免同类相食假设）还是基于对雌性生殖能力的偏好（生殖偏好假设）。通过实验操纵喂养方案以区分雌性生育力和雌性饥饿状态对雄性和雌性交配行为的影响。我们发现最近饥饿的雌性更频繁地向雄性移动，雄性腹部弯曲不那么强烈，并且从最近饥饿的雌性中逃脱得更快。这些雌性和雄性对雌性饥饿状况的行为反应可能表明雄性避免了这种螳螂妖的危险雌性。通过实验操纵喂养方案以区分雌性生育力和雌性饥饿状态对雄性和雌性交配行为的影响。我们发现最近饥饿的雌性更频繁地向雄性移动，雄性腹部弯曲不那么强烈，并且从最近饥饿的雌性中逃脱得更快。这些雌性和雄性对雌性饥饿状况的行为反应可能表明雄性避免了这种螳螂妖的危险雌性。通过实验操纵喂养方案以区分雌性生育力和雌性饥饿状态对雄性和雌性交配行为的影响。我们发现最近饥饿的雌性更频繁地向雄性移动，雄性腹部弯曲不那么强烈，并且从最近饥饿的雌性中逃脱得更快。这些雌性和雄性对雌性饥饿状况的行为反应可能表明雄性避免了这种螳螂妖的危险雌性。