Wing Morphology and Body Design in Opsiphanes and Caligo Butterflies Match the Demands of Male Mating Displays (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-215
Author(s):  
Carla M Penz ◽  
Susan F Williams
Keyword(s):  
Lower Energy ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Male Display ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Body Design ◽  
Male Mate ◽  
Light Gaps ◽  
Wing Aspect Ratio

Abstract There is noticeable variation in male mate-seeking behavior among species of Brassolini butterflies. Males of Opsiphanes Doubleday and Caligo Hübner (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) species perform crepuscular displays along forest edges and in light gaps. While male Opsiphanes perform aerial displays, Caligo males perch and wait for receptive females. A comparison of five species of each genus suggests that male display behavior is associated with, and has likely influenced the evolution of their wing attributes and body design. Opsiphanes males have higher wing aspect ratio and more distal centroid position than congeneric females, suggesting that the energetic demands of aerial displays led to sexual dimorphism in wing morphology. In contrast, male and female Caligo generally showed similar wing morphology, which possibly results from the lower energy expenditure of perching behavior when compared with active flight. Likely due to a genetic correlation between sexes, female Opsiphanes and Caligo are more similar in wing morphology and body design to their congeneric males than to each other. Based on our analyses, we make predictions about reproductive behavior for four species in which male mating displays are unknown.

Free-ranging Van Gelder’s bat Bauerus dubiaquercus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) preying on dung beetles in southern Mexico

Mammalia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro A. Aguilar-Rodríguez ◽  
Aline Méndez-Rodríguez ◽  
Sandra M. Ospina-Garcés ◽  
M. Cristina MacSwiney G. ◽  
Yossi Yovel
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Wing Loading ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Wing Aspect Ratio

Abstract We report the first prey species consumed by the free-ranging Van Gelder’s bat Bauerus dubiaquercus. We trapped four pregnant individuals of this species carrying freshly captured dung beetles. We describe the wing morphology and flight descriptors (wing loading and wing aspect ratio) of the species, which presents wings more suitable for capturing insects by aerial hawking, although the evidence suggests that is able to capture dung beetles of nearly 10% of its body mass in flight close to the ground. The species could obtain their prey while foraging on uncluttered pasture near forest edges.

scholarly journals Natural variation in social conditions affects male mate choosiness in the amphipod Gammarus roeselii

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Lipkowski ◽  
Sophie Steigerwald ◽  
Lisa M Schulte ◽  
Carolin Sommer-Trembo ◽  
Jonas Jourdan
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Natural Variation ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Male Mate

Abstract The extent of male mate choosiness is driven by a trade-off between various environmental factors associated with the costs of mate acquisition, quality assessment and opportunity costs. Our knowledge about natural variation in male mate choosiness across different populations of the same species, however, remains limited. In this study, we compared male mate choosiness across 10 natural populations of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeselii (Gervais 1835), a species with overall high male mating investments, and evaluated the relative influence of population density and sex ratio (both affecting mate availability) on male mate choosiness. We investigated amplexus establishment after separating mating pairs and presenting focal males with a novel, size-matched female from the same population. Our analysis revealed considerable effects of sex ratio and (to a lesser extent) population density on time until amplexus establishment (choosiness). Male amphipods are able to perceive variable social conditions (e.g., sex ratio) and modify their mating strategy accordingly: We found choosiness to be reduced in increasingly male-biased populations, whereas selectivity increases when sex ratio becomes female biased. With this, our study expands our limited knowledge on natural variations in male mate choosiness and illustrates the importance of sex ratio (i.e., level of competition) for male mating decisions in natural environments. Accounting for variation in sex ratios, therefore, allows envisioning a distinctive variation of choosiness in natural populations and highlights the importance of considering social background information in future behavioral studies.

scholarly journals Male display areas in exploded leks: the importance of food resources for male mating success

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1296-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan C. Alonso ◽  
Marina Magaña ◽  
Jose M. Álvarez-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Male Display

scholarly journals No male mate choice for female boldness in a bi-parental West African cichlid, the rainbow krib (Pelvicachromis pulcher)

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Scherer ◽  
Wiebke Schuett
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Parental Species ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
West African ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Personality Differences ◽  
Male Mate

Background In many species, males have a lower reproductive investment than females and are therefore assumed to increase their fitness with a high number of matings rather than by being choosy. However, in bi-parental species, also males heavily invest into reproduction. Here, reproductive success largely depends on costly parental care; with style and amount of parental effort in several cases being associated with personality differences (i.e., consistent between-individual differences in behaviour). Nonetheless, very little is known about the effect of personality differences on (male) mate choice in bi-parental species. Methods In the present study, we tested male mate choice for the level and consistency of female boldness in the rainbow krib, Pelviachromis pulcher, a bi-parental and territorial West African cichlid. Individual boldness was assumed to indicate parental quality because it affects parental defence behaviour. For all males and females, boldness was assessed twice as the activity under simulated predation risk. Mate choice trials were conducted in two steps. First, we let a male observe two females expressing their boldness. Then, the male could choose between these two females in a standard mate choice test. Results We tested for a male preference for behavioural (dis-)similarity vs. a directional preference for boldness but our data support the absence of effects of male and/or female boldness (level and consistency) on male mating preference. Discussion Our results suggest female personality differences in boldness may not be selected for via male mate choice.

The better, the choosier: a meta-analysis on inter-individual variation of male mate choice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Pollo ◽  
Shinichi Nakagawa ◽  
Michael M. Kasumovic
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Male Quality ◽  
Medium Quality ◽  
Male Mate

Male mate choice occurs in several animal species, but we know little about the factors that influence the expression of this behaviour. Males vary in their capacity to acquire mates (i.e. male quality), which could be crucial to male mate choice expression but it is often overlooked. Using a meta-analytical approach, we explore inter-individual variation in the expression of male mate choice by comparing the mating investment of males of different qualities and phenotypes to high- and low-quality females. We used two datasets that together contained information from 60 empirical studies, comprising 52 species. We found that males of all qualities and phenotypes prefer high-quality females, but differ in the strength of such preference. High- and medium-quality males are choosier than low-quality males. Similarly, males that are larger or in greater body condition are choosier than their counterparts. In contrast, male body mass and age are not associated with changes in male mate choice. We also show that experimental design may influence our understanding of male mating investment patterns, which may limit the generalization of our findings. Nonetheless, we argue that male quality may be an important feature in the expression of male mate choice.

MATING BEHAVIOUR AND MALE MATE CHOICE IN TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM (COLEOPTERA, TENEBRIONIDAE)

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Haubruge ◽  
Ludovic Arnaud
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Female Status ◽  
Male Mate

Mate choice by males has received less attention than female choice, despite the recognition that males can incur non-trivial reproductive costs through mating. In this study we investigate male mate choice in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. We determine whether male beetles have evolved sensitivity that enables them to discriminate between females and we then examine how males discriminate between females that present different reproductive potentials. Recently-emerged adult females are immature, and we investigate when egg-laying maturity develops, and whether male mating attempts with immature females provide reproductive pay-offs. We show that males are the sex most likely to initiate mating attempts (more than 85% of male-female contacts are male-initiated). Therefore, we test male mating initiations when presented with choices between: (i) immature and mature virgin females; (ii) mature virgin females and previously mated mature females; and (iii) mature females previously mated either with different male or with the test males. Last male sperm precedence exists in T. castaneum and females are polyandrous. Matings with immature females are therefore likely to generate lower fertilization successes than matings with mature females. Furthermore, males are likely to achieve higher total fertilization success when they mate if they precede a rival male's sperm than if they precede their own sperm. Accordingly, we find that: (i) males copulate more frequently with mature, than with immature females; (ii) males do differentiate between virgin and mated females; and (iii) males prefer females that have been inseminated by a different male to those previously inseminated by the test males themselves. The results demonstrate that male T. castaneum recognise female status, display mate choice, and prefer to inseminate females which provide greater reproductive potential.

Changes in male mate choice in a sexually cannibalistic orb-web spider (Araneae: Araneidae)

Behaviour ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 141 (10) ◽  
pp. 1197-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Elgar ◽  
Anne Gaskett ◽  
Barbara Downes ◽  
Marie Herberstein
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Mating History ◽  
Mating Opportunities ◽  
Argiope Keyserlingi ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Male Mate

AbstractIn theory, male mate choice should occur when the costs of copulation, in terms of future mating opportunities, are high. The criteria males use to choose mates may change depending upon male mating history and the potential for future matings. We examine male mate choice in the St. Andrew's Cross Spider (Argiope keyserlingi Araneae: Araneidae). Laboratory experiments revealed that death and injury caused by female sexual cannibalism limits males to a maximum of two copulations. We assessed the mate choices of virgin and mated males for females of different reproductive status. We used field and laboratory choice bioassays involving airborne and web-based pheromones. In field experiments, wild males were strongly attracted to webs built by laboratory-raised virgin females. Webs from mated females did not attract males. Male mate choice was affected by male reproductive status: while virgin males strongly preferred penultimate and virgin females to mated females, mated males were apparently indifferent to females of different mating status. Such post-copulatory changes in male mate choice have not been previously documented, and may reflect a decreased potential for future mating.

scholarly journals Visual Signals for Individual Identification: The Silent “Song” of Ruffs

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 759-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Lank ◽  
James Dale
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Male Mating Behavior ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Philomachus Pugnax ◽  
Male Display

Abstract Breeding male Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) appear to communicate individual identity through extreme variation in coloration and pattern of their plumages. If plumage variation evolved to provide sufficient information to signal individual identity, we might expect different plumage components to vary independently. We find that variation in four plumage characteristics is largely independent. Previous studies produced conflicting answers about plumage-component independence, perhaps because they failed to separate two genetically distinct behavioral categories of males, which differ in plumage types, in their analysis. We propose that using plumage variation to signal individual identity, rather than voice (used by most other bird species) was favored by lengthy daytime male display in open habitats in close proximity to receivers. However, signaling associated with the unique dimorphism in this species' male mating behavior might also have influenced the evolution of extraordinary plumage diversity in this species.

scholarly journals Functional Morphology of Gliding Flight I: Modeling Reveals Distinct Performance Landscapes Based on Soaring Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1283-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay D Waldrop ◽  
Yanyan He ◽  
Tyson L Hedrick ◽  
Jonathan A Rader
Keyword(s):  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Gliding Flight ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
Drag Ratio ◽  
Lift To Drag Ratio ◽  
Wing Aspect Ratio

Synopsis The physics of flight influences the morphology of bird wings through natural selection on flight performance. The connection between wing morphology and performance is unclear due to the complex relationships between various parameters of flight. In order to better understand this connection, we present a holistic analysis of gliding flight that preserves complex relationships between parameters. We use a computational model of gliding flight, along with analysis by uncertainty quantification, to (1) create performance landscapes of gliding based on output metrics (maximum lift-to-drag ratio, minimum gliding angle, minimum sinking speed, and lift coefficient at minimum sinking speed) and (2) predict what parameters of flight (chordwise camber, wing aspect ratio [AR], and Reynolds number) would differ between gliding and nongliding species of birds. We also examine performance based on the soaring strategy for possible differences in morphology within gliding birds. Gliding birds likely have greater ARs than non-gliding birds, due to the high sensitivity of AR on most metrics of gliding performance. Furthermore, gliding birds can use two distinct soaring strategies based on performance landscapes. First, maximizing distance traveled (maximizing lift-to-drag ratio and minimizing gliding angle) should result in wings with high ARs and middling-to-low wing chordwise camber. Second, maximizing lift extracted from updrafts should result in wings with middling ARs and high wing chordwise camber. Following studies can test these hypotheses using morphological measurements.

scholarly journals Female preferences drive the evolution of mimetic accuracy in male sexual displays

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 463-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth William Coleman ◽  
Gail Lisa Patricelli ◽  
Brian Coyle ◽  
Jennifer Siani ◽  
Gerald Borgia
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Common Element ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Ptilonorhynchus Violaceus ◽  
Vocal Mimicry ◽  
Male Display

Males in many bird species mimic the vocalizations of other species during sexual displays, but the evolutionary and functional significance of interspecific vocal mimicry is unclear. Here we use spectrographic cross-correlation to compare mimetic calls produced by male satin bowerbirds ( Ptilonorhynchus violaceus ) in courtship with calls from several model species. We show that the accuracy of vocal mimicry and the number of model species mimicked are both independently related to male mating success. Multivariate analyses revealed that these mimetic traits were better predictors of male mating success than other male display traits previously shown to be important for male mating success. We suggest that preference-driven mimetic accuracy may be a widespread occurrence, and that mimetic accuracy may provide females with important information about male quality. Our findings support an alternative hypothesis to help explain a common element of male sexual displays.

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