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1 May 2001 Allometric Patterns of Heads and Genitalia in the Stag Beetle Lucanus maculifemoratus (Coleoptera: Lucanidae)
Haruki Tatsuta, Koji Mizota, Shin-Ichi Akimoto
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Abstract

Males of Lucanus maculifemoratus Motschulsky are markedly variable in size of body and heads. In this study, we investigated the possible causes that affect the development of the male heads and genitalia by comparing variability of weight among body parts and allometry in each part to body size. Genitalia varied least in weight among males, and the frequency distribution of their weight was approximately normal. In contrast, the frequency distribution of head weight exhibited a conspicuous skew. Significant positive allometry was found for heads, whereas genitalia showed significant negative allometry. Heads that are used for fighting are allometrically highly variable, whereas genitalia are highly stable, suggesting variable strategies for obtaining mates while maintaining equally sexually functional genitalia. The low variability and low allometric coefficient with body size for genitalia may indicate that the development mechanism for genitalia is separated from that for other body parts, as a result of sexual selection.

Haruki Tatsuta, Koji Mizota, and Shin-Ichi Akimoto "Allometric Patterns of Heads and Genitalia in the Stag Beetle Lucanus maculifemoratus (Coleoptera: Lucanidae)," Annals of the Entomological Society of America 94(3), 462-466, (1 May 2001). https://doi.org/10.1603/0013-8746(2001)094[0462:APOHAG]2.0.CO;2
Received: 21 September 2000; Accepted: 1 January 2001; Published: 1 May 2001
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KEYWORDS
allometry
genitalia
head
lock-and-key hypothesis
Lucanidae
sexual selection hypothesis
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