The role of species-specific sensory cues in male responses to mating rivals in fruitflies.

Complex sets of cues can be important in recognizing and responding to conspecific mating competitors and avoiding potentially costly heterospecific competitive interactions. Within r, males can detect sensory inputs from conspecifics to assess the level of competition. They respond to rivals by significantly extending mating duration and gain significant fitness benefits from doing so. Here, we tested the idea that the multiple sensory cues used by males to detect conspecifics also function to minimize "off-target" responses to heterospecific males that they might encounter ( or ). Focal males exposed to or subsequently increased mating duration, but to a lesser extent than following exposure to conspecific rivals. The magnitude of rivals' responses expressed by males did not align with genetic distance between species, and none of the sensory manipulations caused to respond to males of all other species tested. However, when we removed or provided "false" sensory cues, males became more likely to show increased mating duration responses to heterospecific males. We suggest that benefits of avoiding inaccurate assessment of the competitive environment may shape the evolution of recognition cues.