Exaggerated male legs increase mating success by reducing disturbance to females in the cave weta Pachyrhamma waitomoensis.

ABSTRACT: Mate guarding is a widespread behaviour resulting from sperm competition and conflict over optimal remating rates. It is a key way in which males exhibit differential mating investment, and represents a complex interplay between mating effort, intrasexual competition, opportunity costs and sexual conflict. Nevertheless, although there are many examples of exaggerated male structures used to fight rivals, few animals have developed specialized male morphological adaptations for directly sheltering females from disturbance by non-rivals. Here we report on the use of sexually dimorphic, elongated male hind legs, which are used to guard females in the New Zealand cave wētā Pachyrhamma waitomoensis (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae). We found that male hind legs alongside the female failed to deter

SUBMITTER: Fea M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6015848 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature