Mating Status Does Not Alter Sexual Receptivity in Females of the Harvestman <i>Leiobunum limbatum</i>

ABSTRACT Sexual conflict arises when male and female mating optima diverge. Males of certain harvestman species frequently harass females to gain additional matings, while females strongly resist mating attempts, which could be costly for them. We hypothesize that sexual conflict is attenuated in harvestman species where males offer nuptial gifts to females. Using Leiobunum limbatum Koch, 1861, a species where males possess an ancestral, sacculate penis and offer nuptial gifts to the female during copulation, we examined sexual receptivity and copulation frequency of females allowed to mate sequentially with two different males. Females copulated with males repeatedly, and their sexual receptivity was not impaired by mating order. Female physical condition positively correlated with copulation frequency, likely because of their heightened attractiveness to males. Unexpectedly, male size correlated negatively with copulation frequency, suggesting an advantage of being small in species with scramble competition. The intensity of sexual coercion in L. limbatum seems to be lower than in other species, particularly those lacking nuptial feeding.