Body size and mating strategies in the simultaneous hermaphrodite Oxynoe olivacea (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa).

Summary 1To better understand the role and importance of body size in hermaphroditic mating system theory, the mating behaviour of the shelled sacoglossan Oxynoe olivacea was studied. This simultaneous hermaphrodite exhibits bilateral and unilateral sperm transfer and thus it is particularly suitable for studies on hermaphrodite sexual conflict. 2In this study three hypotheses on body size were tested: that O. olivacea partner size has an effect on (i) mating mode choice, (ii) duration of mating modes, and (iii) choice of sexual role. Furthermore, we tested Charnov's hypothesis that in O. olivacea, like many simultaneous hermaphrodites, a sexual conflict exists and the male role is preferre…