Sexual Cannibalism
Sexual cannibalism can be described as the killing and consumption of a courting male by a female of the same species. As the name suggests, sexual cannibalism can occur before, during or after copulation, and is most commonly seen in mantids (Prenter and Macneil, 2008; Birkhead et al, 1988). By participating in this practice the male mantids are basically committing suicide. This means that they are forfeiting their opportunity to mate with any other females, and also their potential to have any future offspring. This poses the question as to why sexual cannibalism may have evolved for male mantids.
Figure 5: Mantid
It is apparent that being eaten by the female after copulation may infer an advantage for the male (Buskirk et al, 1984). This advantage stems from the fact that the female may produce more eggs capable of hatching offspring that can survive and live successfully if she consumes the male. This provides the male with a greater chance of producing viable young, and increases his chances of contributing to the next generation. So while it may seem gruesome, the male does benefit from sexual cannibalism in the sense that he has a greater chance of producing more viable offspring than if he was not consumed by the female (Buskirk et al, 1984).
OR