Satellite males were highly successful at fertilizing eggs.
Overall, 624 of the 846 (74%) larvae in this study were
fathered by satellite males. On average satellite males
could expect equal paternity (323.1%) with that of
attached males (25.55.0%) when in a group of two to
four satellites (Wilcoxon signed-ranks test: Z=1.3,
N=40, P=0.18), but wide variation existed: both satellites
and attached males fathered 0–100% of the eggs that were
laid in a clutch (Fig. 2). The average success of attached
males when spawning with two satellites (23.36.8%,
N=23 clutches) was much lower than when spawning
with one satellite (51%) or no satellites (100%) (from
Brockmann et al. 1994). However, an attached male’s
BROCKMANN ET AL.: PATERNITY IN HORSESHOE CRABS 841