INCEST may not be taboo among amorous insects but male moths invest less in the family members they mate with. They ejaculate less sperm when copulating with their sisters to avoid wasting it on inbred offspring.
and Zenobia Lewis from the University of Exeter in the UK paired males from 14 Indian meal moth families with either a sister or an unrelated mate, then shock-froze the females and counted the sperm in their bodies. Sisters received 54 per cent less sperm than non-related females, on average (Animal Behaviour, ).
This is the first time males have…
