A review of the Indian species of Apochinomma Pavesi, 1881 and Corinnomma Karsch, 1880, synonymy of Castianeira quadrimaculata Reimoser, 1934, and a catalogue of the Indian corinnid fauna (Arachnida: Araneae)

Indian species of the genera Apochinomma Pavesi, 1881 and Corinnomma Karsch, 1880 are reviewed. Corinnomma rufofuscum Reimoser, 1934 syn. nov. is synonymised with A. nitidum (Thorell, 1895). Redescriptions of A. nitidum and C. severum (Thorell, 1877) are provided, and two colour morphs (brown and black) of A. nitidum are illustrated. Supplementary descriptions for A. dolosum Simon, 1897 and C. comulatum Thorell, 1891 are provided. The species Castianeira quadrimaculata Reimoser, 1934 syn. nov. is recognised as a junior synonym of Coenoptychus pulcher Simon, 1885. Images of all the examined type material are provided and a catalogue of Indian corinnid species is presented.

Allochronic isolation on a latitudinal gradient in the polyphagous moth Hyphantria cunea

Allochronic speciation, where reproductive isolation between populations of a species is facilitated by a difference in reproductive timing, depends on the existence of seasonality. Seasonality is strongly driven by latitude, so there may be a relationship between latitude and divergence among populations separated by life history timing. Here we explore the relationship between allochronic speciation and latitude using Hyphantria cunea (the fall webworm), a Lepidopteran defoliator with red and black colour morphs that may be undergoing an incipient allochronic speciation. We annotated >9000 community science observations of fall webworm to model colour morph phenology and differences in phenotype across North America. We also examined the physiology of two sympatric populations to determine differences in diapause intensity. We found the fall webworm is multivoltine with differing numbers of generations between colour morphs at lower latitudes, and univoltine at latitudes higher than 41°. This shift to univoltism correlated with a decline in morphological differentiation. This shows that conditions at lower latitudes facilitate greater divergence in an incipient allochronic speciation potentially due to longer reproductive seasons allowing for greater mismatches in generations. Our results demonstrate how latitude affects allochronic speciation, and how sympatric speciation along latitudinal gradients contributes to trends in global biodiversity.

Repeatability of water loss and gain rates of Plethodon cinereus

Water loss and gain rates of amphibians are important to understanding their ecology, especially for plethodontid salamanders. We report the first estimates of repeatability of relative water loss and gain rates of the two major colour morphs of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, in the fall and spring seasons. Repeatability of relative water loss in P. cinereus was >0 in the fall but not in the spring. Repeatability of relative water gain was significant for all salamanders pooled in the fall, and was not repeatable in the spring. There were no apparent differences in repeatability of relative water loss or gain between the two colour morphs. Our results suggest that the repeatability of relative water loss and gain rates varies by season, but not by colour morph.

Decline of the Commercially Attractive White Morph in Goliath Beetle Polymorphic Populations

The Goliath beetle (Goliathus goliatus) is one of the largest and most commercially valuable (for collection exports) beetle species worldwide, and occurs in West and Central Africa, with polymorphic populations being found in Benin, Eastern Nigeria, and Western Cameroun. The white morph is the most commercially valuable, and therefore is actively searched for by hunters and dealers. In a long-term, opportunistically conducted study in south-eastern Nigeria, we documented a substantial decline of the white morph compared to the normally coloured brown morph, although an overall decline in the number of observed beetles was evident for both colour morphs. Although a combination of reasons may have caused the white form decline, it is likely that overcollecting was the primary threat behind the observed pattern. Therefore, we urge the competent authorities to better protect the polymorphic populations of these giant beetles and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to make a quick assessment for eventual inclusion of the species among the threatened taxa Red List.

Metabolic rates of aggressive/submissive phenotypes are colour blind in the polymorphic Gouldian finch

Evidence from a number of species suggests behaviours associated with social rank are positively correlated with metabolic rate. These studies, however, are based on metabolic measurements of isolated individuals, thereby ignoring potential effects of social interactions on metabolic rates. Here, we characterised three pertinent metabolic indices in the two predominant genetic colour morphs of the Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae): diurnal resting metabolic rate (RMR), nocturnal basal metabolic rate (BMR), and exercise-induced maximal metabolic rate (MMR). Research reveals red-headed morphs consistently dominate the less aggressive black-headed morphs and the two morphs to differ in other behavioural and physiological traits. We measured daytime RMR of intermorph naïve birds (first-year virgin males maintained in total isolation from opposite colour morphs) and their metabolic responses to viewing a socially unfamiliar bird of each colour. Subsequently each bird was placed in a home cage with an opposite colour morph (intermorph exposed) and the series of measurements repeated. Daytime RMR was indistinguishable between the two morphs, whether intermorph naïve or intermorph exposed. However, both red- and black-headed birds showed a greater short-term increase in metabolic rate when viewing an unfamiliar red-headed bird than when seeing a black-headed bird, but only when intermorph naïve. Measurements of BMR and exercise-induced MMR did not differ between the two morphs, and consequently aerobic scope was indistinguishable between them. We propose that the suite of behavioural differences between these two sympatric morphs are functionally complementary and represent evolutionary stable strategies permitting establishment of dominance status in the absence of metabolic costs.

Revision of the Asian pseudoscorpion genus Tullgrenius Chamberlin, 1933 (Pseudoscorpiones: Atemnidae: Miratemninae), a tale of intraspecific variation

The Asian pseudoscorpion genus Tullgrenius Chamberlin, 1933 is revised. A neotype is designated for Tullgrenius indicus Chamberlin, 1933, based on topotype material and a detailed description of its male is provided. Two new synonymies are proposed: Tullgrenius vachoni Murthy, 1962 syn. nov. and Tullgrenius orientalis Sivaraman, 1980 syn. nov. = T. indicus. Two distinct colour morphs of T. indicus are recognized: a brown and black morph. Supplementary descriptions and illustrations for Tullgrenius afghanicus Beier, 1959 and Tullgrenius compactus Beier, 1951 are detailed with current distribution of all the known Tullgrenius spp..

Parental morph combination does not influence innate immune function in nestlings of a colour-polymorphic African raptor

Conditions experienced during early life can have long-term individual consequences by influencing dispersal, survival, recruitment and productivity. Resource allocation during development can have strong carry-over effects onto these key parameters and is directly determined by the quality of parental care. In the black sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus), a colour-polymorphic raptor, parental morphs influence nestling somatic growth and survival, with pairs consisting of different colour morphs (‘mixed-morph pairs’) producing offspring with lower body mass indices, but higher local apparent survival rates. Resource allocation theory could explain this relationship, with nestlings of mixed-morph pairs trading off a more effective innate immune system against somatic growth. We quantified several innate immune parameters of nestlings (hemagglutination, hemolysis, bacteria-killing capacity and haptoglobin concentration) and triggered an immune response by injecting lipopolysaccharides. Although we found that nestlings with lower body mass index had higher local survival rates, we found no support for the proposed hypothesis: neither baseline immune function nor the induced immune response of nestlings was associated with parental morph combination. Our results suggest that these immune parameters are unlikely to be involved in providing a selective advantage for the different colour morphs’ offspring, and thus innate immunity does not appear to be traded off against a greater allocation of resources to somatic growth. Alternative hypotheses explaining the mechanism of a low nestling body mass index leading to subsequent higher local survival could be related to the post-fledgling dependency period or differences in dispersal patterns for the offspring from different morph combinations.

Viability, behaviour, and colour expression in the offspring of matings between common wall lizard Podarcis muralis colour morphs

Colour polymorphisms are widely studied to identify the mechanisms responsible for the origin and maintenance of phenotypic variability in nature. Two of the mechanisms of balancing selection currently thought to explain the long-term persistence of polymorphisms are the evolution of alternative phenotypic optima through correlational selection on suites of traits including colour, and heterosis. Both of these mechanisms can generate differences in offspring viability and fitness arising from different morph combinations. Here, we examined the effect of parental morph combination on fertilisation success, embryonic viability, newborn quality, antipredator and foraging behaviour, as well as inter-annual survival by conducting controlled matings in a polymorphic lacertid Podarcis muralis, where colour morphs are frequently assumed to reflect alternative phenotypic optima (e.g. alternative reproductive strategies). Juveniles were kept in outdoor tubs for a year in order to study inter-annual growth, survival, and morph inheritance. In agreement with a previous genome-wide association analysis, morph frequencies in the year-old juveniles matched the frequencies expected if orange and yellow expression depended on recessive homozygosity at two separate loci. Our findings also agree with previous literature reporting higher reproductive output of heavy females and the higher overall viability of heavy newborn lizards, but we found no evidence for the existence of alternative breeding investment strategies in female morphs, or morph-combination effects on offspring viability and behaviour. We conclude that inter-morph breeding remains entirely viable and genetic incompatibilities are of little significance for the maintenance of discrete colour morphs in P. muralis from the Pyrenees.

All Shades of Shrimp: Preferences of Colour Morphs of a Freshwater Shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Decapoda, Atyidae) for Substrata of Different Colouration

An ornamental freshwater shrimp, Neocaridina davidi, is popular as an aquarium hobby and, therefore, a potentially invasive species. There is a growing need for proper management of this species to determine not only their optimum breeding conditions, but also their ability to colonise novel environments. We tested habitat preferences of colour morphs (brown, red, white) of N. davidi for substratum colour (black, white, grey shades, red) and fine or coarse chess-board patterns to recognise their suitable captivity conditions and predict their distribution after potential release into nature. We conducted laboratory choice experiments (n = 8) with three individuals of the same morph exposed for two hours to a range of backgrounds. Shrimp preferred dark backgrounds over light ones irrespective of their own colouration and its match with the background colour. Moreover, the brown and red morphs, in contrast to the white morph, preferred the coarse background pattern over the finer pattern. This suggests that the presence of dark, uniform substrata (e.g., rocks, macrophytes) will favour N. davidi. Nevertheless, the polymorphism of the species has little effect on its total niche breadth, and thus its invasive potential.