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Nymphs of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) produce anti-aphrodisiac defence against conspecific males

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Biology, September 2010
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Title
Nymphs of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) produce anti-aphrodisiac defence against conspecific males
Published in
BMC Biology, September 2010
DOI 10.1186/1741-7007-8-121
Pubmed ID
Authors

Vincent Harraca, Camilla Ryne, Rickard Ignell

Abstract

Abdominal wounding by traumatic insemination and the lack of a long distance attraction pheromone set the scene for unusual sexual signalling systems. Male bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) mount any large, newly fed individual in an attempt to mate. Last instar nymphs overlap in size with mature females, which make them a potential target for interested males. However, nymphs lack the female's specific mating adaptations and may be severely injured by the abdominal wounding. We, therefore, hypothesized that nymphs emit chemical deterrents that act as an honest status signal, which prevents nymph sexual harassment and indirectly reduces energy costs for males.

Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 117 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Germany 2 2%
Portugal 1 <1%
Netherlands 1 <1%
Sweden 1 <1%
South Africa 1 <1%
United States 1 <1%
Unknown 110 94%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 20 17%
Student > Ph. D. Student 15 13%
Student > Bachelor 14 12%
Student > Master 10 9%
Student > Doctoral Student 6 5%
Other 17 15%
Unknown 35 30%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 61 52%
Psychology 4 3%
Chemistry 3 3%
Environmental Science 3 3%
Earth and Planetary Sciences 2 2%
Other 7 6%
Unknown 37 32%