Costly mating delays drive female ornamentation in a capital breeder

How fecundity might be traded off with mate attraction and other aspects of reproduction in females remains poorly understood. We investigated these allocation trade-offs using the common glowworm (Lampyris noctiluca), a lampyrid beetle, which flightless, sedentary only use resources gathered during larval stage to attract flying males by glowing. While sexual signaling was not found have significant cost, delay successfully attracting greatly increased risk reproductive failure, losses being more severe small females. These findings are among first show that failure quickly can decrease female fecundity. The results also how length before mating drive evolution ornamentation.