Open AccessSexual dimorphism and sexual conflict in the diving beetle Agabus uliginosus (L.) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)
Author(s) -
Bilton David T.,
Hayward Jamie W. G.,
Rocha Jonathan,
Foster Garth N.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/bij.12850
Subject(s) - dytiscidae , sexual dimorphism , biology , sexual conflict , dorsum , zoology , persistence (discontinuity) , mating , trait , ecology , anatomy , programming language , geotechnical engineering , computer science , engineering
Sexual conflict can drive intersexual arms races, with female resistance and male persistence traits coevolving antagonistically. Such arms races are well documented in some diving beetles, although the extent of sexual conflict in this family remains unclear. The European dytiscid Agabus uliginosus has a strikingly dimorphic female; individuals from most regions are smooth and male‐like, whereas those from some populations have a strongly roughened dorsum, a trait that has attracted the name dispar . We demonstrate that rough and smooth females differ consistently in the development of dorsal surface microreticulation, and that these females are associated with males that differ in the development of their persistence traits. These findings extend the occurrence of pre‐insemination sexual conflict and associated intrasexual dimorphism in Dytiscidae, and suggest that such mating systems are relatively widespread in these beetles.