Lifetime mating success of males in a natural population of the papilionid butterfly, Atrophaneura alcinous (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Summary Lifetime mating success of males in a natural population of the papilionid butterfly, Atrophaneura alcinous , was investigated and causes of the variation were examined. The most successful males mated with 5 females, whereas about 73% of the males failed to mate. Body size of males was not correlated with their eclosion date, longevity and lifetime mating success. There was no trade‐off between mating success and longevity, and long‐lived males had a disproportionately high mating success. Although number of available females per male per day was not variable among males with different longevities, long‐lived males had higher mating efficiency. Time interval between matings by non‐virgin males was shorter than that from eclosion to the first mating. High lifetime mating success of long‐lived males was strongly related to their mating experience, not to their age per se .