Results
Results from all statistical analyses are presented in Table S2. Males approached females more often in patches with substrate cues of virgin females, independently of the mating status of the females present on the patch (substrate cues x mating status: χ21=1.104, P=0.293; patch cues: χ21=54.323, P<0.01; mating status: χ21= 2.055, P= 0.152; Fig. 1a). Virgins accepted male mating attempts more often than mated females and the frequency of female acceptance was higher in patches with cues of virgin females (patch cues x mating status: χ21=2.625, P=0.105; patch cues: χ21=8.553, P<0.01; mating status: χ21= 64.252, P= P<0.01; Fig. 1b). The number of mating events was also affected by both the substrate cues and the mating status of the female independently (patch cues x mating status: χ21=1.274, P=0.259; patch cues: χ21=35.445, P<0.001; mating status: χ21= 17.89, P<0.001; Fig. 1c), with number of mating events being lower when matings were with mated vs virgin females and when they occurred on patches with cues of mated vs virgin females (Fig. 1c).
The first mating of a male lasted longer when it involved virgin females and when it occurred in patches with cues of virgins than when it involved mated females and occurred on patches with cues from mated females (patch cues x mating status: F1,60=0.002, P=0.966; patch cues: F1,61=4.737, P=0.033; mating status: F1,61=70.367, P<0.001; Fig. 2a). Copulation duration was always significantly higher in patches with cues of virgins than in patches with cues of mated females (patch cues: F1,72.70=4.624, P=0.035; Fig. 2c) but it significantly decreased across mating events and this decrease was steeper when males were placed in patches with virgin females (copulation order x mating status: F1,364.06=5.652, P=0.018).
Male survival on patches with cues left by virgin females and the presence of virgin females was reduced compared to that of males on patches with cues left by mated females or with mated females present (patch cues x mating status: χ21=0.496, P=0.481; patch cues: χ21=4.283, P=0.038; mating status: χ21= 8.774, P= 0.003; Fig. 3).