Queffelec, JosephineAllison, Jeremy D.Slippers, BernardGreeff, Jacobus Maree2025-11-112025-11-112025-11Queffelec, J., Allison, J.D., Slippers, B. & Greeff, J.M. 2025, 'Determinants of mating success in a lek-mating species', Agricultural and Forest Entomology, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 643-652, doi : 10.1111/afe.12692.1461-9555 (print)1461-9563 (online)10.1111/afe.12692http://hdl.handle.net/2263/105221DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The data underlying the results of this study are openly available on the Open Government portal at https://doi.org/10.23687/6e5122f6-098e-47e1-a43c-7908f28cf5fe. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL FIGURE S1. Distribution of male age within each bioassay. Orange dots represent the age of the males that mated successfully. Points are scattered around values to avoid superposition. FIGURE S2. Distribution of male pronotum width within each bioassay. Orange dots represent the pronotum width of the males that mated successfully.• Leks are male-biased aggregations formed for mating, where sperm is the only resource acquired by visiting females. • One of the many advantages of leks is the possibility to efficiently assess the quality of potential mates by comparing aggregated individuals of the same sex with one another. • When direct mate choice occurs in a lekking species, it is often exhibited by females, but some studies have also demonstrated the presence of male mate choice. • We investigate mate choice in the lek-forming European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio. • We determine the importance of age and size as predictors of mating success. • We demonstrate that mating is not random and that male and female traits affect mating success. • Age plays an important role in mating success in both males and females, with older males mating more and younger females being more attractive and more receptive to mating. • Relative male size seems to play a role in mating success, with males being more successful when attempting to mate with females that are larger than they are.en© 2025 His Majesty the King in Right of Canada and The Author(s). Agricultural and Forest Entomology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Entomological Society. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Natural Resources Canada. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.HymenopteraWoodwasp (Sirex noctilio)Mating behaviourMale mate choiceLeksArticle