The fossil record of abdominal modifications in male scorpionflies documents a relatively late evolution of oppressive behaviour toward a female during mating and suggest degree of sexual coercion greater in Eocene than in any other known scorpionfly, extinct or extant.

Fossils shed light on mating strategies in scorpionflies.

By considering a new form of social cheat strategy, arms-races-like dynamics between coevolving selfish traits could emerge from the tragedy of the commons and help explain the variations in cheating levels observed in many microbes and eusocial insects.