Sexual Selection and Allied Problems in the Insects

Richards, O. W.

doi:10.1111/j.1469-185x.1927.tb01401.x

Cited by 144 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 131 publications

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“…Sexual selection is credited with the evolution of nature's most fantastic animal morphologies (Darwin 1871;Richards 1927;Thornhill and Alcock 1983;Andersson 1994). Even before Darwin included horned beetles in his treatise on sexual selection (Darwin 1871), the exaggerated shapes of beetle horns had captured the fancy of biologists (Drury 1770; Fischer 1823; Castelnau 1840; Burmeister 1847; Bates 1863; Walsh 1864; Wallace 1869), and this fascination has persisted ever since (e.g., Paulian 1935;Beebe 1944;Arrow 1951;Ratcliffe 1977;Eberhard 1982;Enrodi 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

et al. 2005

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Abstract. Both ornaments and weapons of sexual selection frequently exhibit prolific interspecific diversity of form. Yet, most studies of this diversity have focused on ornaments involved with female mate choice, rather than on the weapons of male competition. With few exceptions, the mechanisms of divergence in weapon morphology remain largely unexplored. Here, we characterize the evolutionary radiation of one type of weapon: beetle horns. We use partial sequences from four nuclear and three mitochondrial genes to develop a phylogenetic hypothesis for a worldwide sample of 48 species from the dung beetle genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). We then use these data to test for multiple evolutionary origins of horns and to characterize the evolutionary radiation of horns. Although our limited sampling of one of the world's most species-rich genera almost certainly underestimates the number of evolutionary events, our phylogeny reveals prolific evolutionary lability of these exaggerated sexually selected weapons (more than 25 separate gains and losses of five different horn types). We discuss these results in the context of the natural history of these beetles and explore ways that sexual selection and ecology may have interacted to generate this extraordinary diversity of weapon morphology.Key words. Adaptive radiation, beetle horns, character divergence, male competition, Onthophagus, phylogeny, sexual selection, weapons.Received October 18, 2004. Accepted January 23, 2005 The history of life has been accentuated by several spectacular evolutionary radiations (Darwin 1871;Simpson 1949;Rensch 1959), and character divergence within these radiations frequently involves the exaggerated structures of sexual selection (Darwin 1871; West Eberhard 1983; Andersson 1994). The Hawaiian radiation of drosophilid flies, for example, has resulted in more than 900 extant species that differ most conspicuously in the wing patterns and courtship displays of males (Carson 1979;Templeton 1979;Kaneshiro and Boake 1987;Hoy et al. 1988;Kaneshiro 1988;Kambysellis et al. 1995). Similarly, radiations of birds-of-paradise, pheasants, and African Great Lake cichlids all involve the ornaments and displays of males (Beebe 1953;Gilliard 1969;Dominey 1984;Diamond 1986;Turner 1994;Deutsch 1997;Prum 1997;Frith and Beehler 1998; van Oppen et al. 1998). In fact, for a great many animals, the exaggerated structures of sexual selection display an evolutionary lability far surpassing that of other, not sexually selected structures (Darwin 1871;Geist 1966Geist , 1978Gilliard 1969; West-Eberhard 1983; Andersson 1994).Diversification of the ornaments and displays of mate choice is understandable-even expected. Numerous studies suggest that female choice can drive rapid divergence among populations (Lande 1981; West Eberhard 1983;Kaneshiro and Boake 1987;Endler and Houde 1995; van Oppen et al. 1998; Boake 2000;Uy and Borgia 2000;Boughman 2001;Masta and Maddison 2002;Mendelson 2003;Coleman et al. 2004). Founder events, genetic drift, and minor...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

et al. 2005

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“…There seems to be an overwhelming dominance of 'inverse correlation' of the genitalia, i.e., the dorsal side of the male contacts the ventral side of the female (Richards 1927;Weber 1930;Hennig 1973;McAlpine 1981;Cobben 1982;Asche 1985;Heming-van Battum and Heming 1989;Sforza and Bourgoin 1998;Soulier-Perkins and Bourgoin 1998;Schulmeister 2001). This character is extremely conservative, probably due to the complex fit of male and female genitalia that does not allow the genitalia to simply rotate against each other when positions are changed.…”

Section: Evidence For the Individual Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…About equal room was given to alternative scenarios, possibly blurring the fact that only one of them seems to best explain the majority of cases. In the present overview, I will concentrate on this scenario (which is largely built on ideas by Lamb 1922;Richards 1927;Ludwig 1932;Alexander 1964), on the evidence supporting each of its steps, and on ways in which it can be tested. Figure 1 illustrates the main assumptions and evolutionary steps in the proposed scenario.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mating positions and the evolution of asymmetric insect genitalia

Huber

2008

Genetica

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Genital asymmetry is a recurring phenomenon in insect morphology and current data suggest that it has arisen multiple times independently in several neopteran orders. Various explanations have been proposed, including space constraints, ecological constraints, sexual selection via antagonistic coevolution, and sexual selection via changed mating positions. Each of these hypotheses may best explain individual cases, but only the last seems to account for the large majority of insect genital asymmetries. Here I summarize the basic assumptions and evolutionary steps implied in this model and review the evidence for each of them. Several components of this scenario can be easily tested, for example by including genital asymmetries and mating positions in phylogenetic analyses. Others require in-depth analyses of the function of asymmetric genital structures, targeted comparative analyses (e.g., of taxa with sex-role reversal, taxa with reversal to symmetry, etc.), and of female genital neuroanatomy.

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“…Principi (1949), in her exceptionally detailed and beautifully illustrated morphological study of the Chrysopa genital apparatus, shows the typical chrysopid copulatory stance. That is, the male tergites are on a plane with the female sternites, and the copulatory position is "male above", "female above", or "end-to-end" with the male inverted or the male abdomen twisted 180° (Richards, 1927). Several of the above positions have been reported for chrysopids: "female above" [Nothochrysa, Meleoma, Chrysoperla (Toschi, 1965;Eichele, 1972;Henry, 1979)]; "end-to-end" with male abdomen twisted [Chrysopa (Toschi, 1965;Wattebled & Canard, 1981)] or "male inverted" (Tauber & Tauber, unpubl.…”

Section: Abdomen-graspingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life history and reproductive behavior of the endemic Hawaiian Anomalochrysa hepatica (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): A comparative approach

Tauber¹,

Tauber²,

Hilton³

2006

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Our study focuses on a series of biological characteristics that Anomalochrysa hepatica exhibits; herein, we compare these features with those expressed by two other species within the endemic Hawaiian lacewing genus. Some of the characteristics (No. 2-3, below) vary greatly among the three congeners and may be of phylogenetic importance; others (No. 1, below) probably are not. Our study showed the following: (1) Developmental response to temperature. Anomalochrysa hepatica's developmental rates under a range of temperatures parallel those of the congener A. maclachlani, but A. hepatica's thermal threshold is lower. It is possible that both species' developmental responses to temperature are subject to considerable geographic variation and thus are of little phylogenetic significance at the species level. (2) Larval color change. Third instars of A. hepatica undergo a striking color change as they mature. In expressing this trait, A. hepatica resembles its closely related congener, A. maclachlani, but differs from the more distantly related congener, A. frater. This color change may have phylogenetic importance. (3) Reproductive behavior. Courtship and mating in Anomalochrysa comprise a consistent sequence of behavioral elements, some of which differ among the three species. For example, during courtship, A. hepatica produces readily audible clicks that are associated with forward flicking of the forewings; in A. maclachlani, readily audible clicking occurs with simultaneous flicking of the fore-and hind wings; in A. frater wing-flicking is present but we did not perceive audible clicks. Some of the interspecific variation in mating behavior may also involve specific morphological modifications; aspects of both the behavioral and morphological variation may provide useful characters for phylogenetic study. (4) Oviposition and rates of egg survival in the field. Unlike other Chrysopidae, endemic Hawaiian Anomalochrysa, including A. hepatica, typically lay unstalked eggs; however, species vary in their patterns of egg laying. Both A. hepatica and A. maclachlani deposit clustered eggs, whereas A. frater lays eggs singly. In nature, the average rate of hatching per A. hepatica egg mass was 75%. Several species of introduced predators and a species of trichogrammatid parasitoid attacked these eggs.

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Sexual Selection and Allied Problems in the Insects

Cited by 144 publications

References 131 publications

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Mating positions and the evolution of asymmetric insect genitalia

Life history and reproductive behavior of the endemic Hawaiian Anomalochrysa hepatica (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): A comparative approach

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