Bite force, body size, and octopamine mediate mating interactions in the house cricket (Acheta domesticus)

Mating interactions are rife with conflict because the evolutionary interests of males and females seldom coincide. Intersexual conflict affects sexual selection, yet the proximate factors underlying male coercive ability and female resistance are poorly understood. Male combat outcomes are often influenced by bite force, with superior biters being more likely to achieve victory over poorer biters in a range of species, including crickets. If good performers also achieve mating success through sexual coercion, then bite force might play a role in intersexual conflict as well. We tested the capacity of bite force to influence mating interactions in house crickets both directly by measuring bite forces of males and females and by altering male bite capacity through neuropharmacological manipulation. In addition, the invertebrate neurotransmitter octopamine both mediates aggression and underlies motivation to bite in male house crickets. By blocking octopamine receptors through the applica..., The dataset was collected by using weight measurements of Acheta domesticus crickets along with the width of the pronotum base of the crickets as a size measurement. We used a flexiforce sensor to collect bite force measurement data on both male and female crickets.  
The data was recorded in Microsoft Excel and processed using the R statistical coding software. , , # Bite force, body size, and octopamine mediate mating interactions in the house cricket (Acheta domesticus)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bg79cnpgs](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bg79cnpgs)

Give a brief summary of dataset contents, contextualized in experimental procedures and results.

## Description of the data and file structure

#### GENERAL INFORMATION

1\. Title of Dataset: Bite force\, body size\, and octopamine mediate mating interactions in the house cricket \(Acheta domesticus\)

2\. Author Information
         A. Principal Investigator Contact Information
           Name: Fadeke Adeola
           Institution: University of New Orleans
           Address: New Orleans, LA USA
           Email: [e-mail]
 
         B. Associate or Co-investigator Contact Information
            Name: Simon Lailvaux
                    Institution: University of New Orleans
                    Address: New Orleans, LA USA
                    Email: [e-mail]
 
3\. Date of...