Data for: Increased male mating success in the presence of prey and rivals in a sexually cannibalistic mantis

Pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism—or cannibalism without mating—is
expected to promote the evolution of male strategies that enhance mating
success and reduce the risk of cannibalism, such as preferentially
approaching feeding females. Sexual selection on male competitiveness has
the potential to alter male mating decisions in the face of cannibalism
risk, but such effects are poorly understood. We investigated the effect
of prey availability and male-male competition on mating incidence in the
highly cannibalistic Springbok mantis, Miomantis caffra. We found that
matings were initiated more rapidly and more often in the presence of
prey, suggesting that females distracted with foraging may be less of a
threat. Competition between males also hastened the onset of copulation
and led to higher mating success, with very large effects occurring in the
presence of both prey and competitors, indicating that intrasexual
competition may intensify attraction to foraging females. Taken together,
our results suggest that pre-copulatory cannibalism has selected for male
preference for foraging females, and that males adjust their mating
strategy to both the risk of competition and the threat of cannibalism.