Mating failures as a consequence of sexual selection on females

Abstract Multiple mating by individuals successful in sexual competition results in other individuals failing to mate. This leads to sexual selection within a sex, typically the males. However, more species are coming to light in which females are subject to sexual selection. We review the contexts for and nature of sexual selection on females in several insect species where female mating failures have been noted. We then examine evidence of mating failures in two groups of insects, empidid flies (Diptera) and tettigoniid Orthoptera (katydids), in which sexual selection is expected to be relatively stronger on females. Using data from the field, we show for two species of katydids that, as predicted, there are mating failures by females in populations in which the direction of sexual selection appears to be reversed, but not in populations where sexual selection appears to be stronger on males.