Unusual male remounting and its fitness benefit in few species of montium subgroup of drosophila

Male mating a second female after the first (male remating) is a common feature particularly in mass culture of Drosophila. Female remating is not frequent as that of male remating, but yet it is reported in few species here we report that males of D.gangotri and D.nagarholensis, remounting the same female for second and subsequent times immediately after first mount. There was no relation between courtship latency and mating latency or copulation duration (first mount). However, the copulation duration of second and subsequent mounts gradually decreased in both the species. D.gangotri and D.nagarholensis also showed female remating. Even during female remating, the repeated male mounting occurred. Only the copulation duration of first mating and second mating of D.gangotri was not significant. Males of D.nagarholensis remounted the same female for three times, whereas D.gangotri mounted the same female twice, immediately after first mount. The male remounting is absent in D.kikkawaii and D.bipectinata. Fitness traits (Fecundity, hatchability, viability, fertility and sex ratio) were studied and result showed significant variation between first, second, third mounts for D.nagarholensis. In case of D.gangotrii except hatchability and sex ratio all other fitness traits showed significant variation between first and second mount.