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- Title
Size-dependent seasonal activity for males of the dung beetle Copris acutidens (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).
- Authors
Akamine, Mayumi
- Abstract
This study aimed to determine differences in activities between two male morphs of the dung beetle Copris acutidens Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) during the reproductive period and to examine the size distribution of reproductive males that stayed in nests. The activities of two male morphs distinguished by a threshold value of body size were compared with those by horn length. Regardless of body size or horn length, earlier activity of minor males was observed during the reproductive period. The sex ratio showed the greatest female bias when minor males were the more abundant than major males, indicating that minor males were the most active when competition was the weakest and these could avoid direct combat with major males. In morphs distinguished by horn length, more major males than minor males stayed in nests with females although the major males became the most active from the middle of the reproductive period. Thus, longer horns may directly confer a competitive advantage to males, enabling them to stay in nests with females, whereas early activity of minor males does not always indicate the effect of horn length directly. Therefore, this behaviour may occur regardless of whether the morphs differ in body size or horn length.
- Publication
Canadian Entomologist, 2019, Vol 151, Issue 6, p757
- ISSN
0008-347X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.4039/tce.2019.55