The interplay between different stages of reproduction in males of the moth Plodia interpunctella

• We examined whether different episodes of sexual selection are related in a moth.
• A male's ability to seduce a female resulted in greater mating success overall.
• Transfer of large numbers of sperm increased postcopulatory reproductive success.
• There was no relationship between pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection.

As a result of female remating, sexual selection can operate both before and after copulation, yet studies of sexual selection on males tend to focus on individual episodes of reproduction in isolation. We examined whether different episodes of sexual selection are related in the sperm-polymorphic Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella. We found that the ability to mate with nonvirgin females determined male precopulatory reproductive success. In addition, males that transferred more sperm during their first mating were better at both sperm competition and reducing females' propensity to remate, suggesting that sperm production and transfer are key determinants of reproductive success in this species. However, no relationships were found between traits contributing to pre- versus postcopulatory sexual selection. Our results illustrate the importance of considering variation in all aspects of male reproductive success when examining sexual selection.