Genetically determined color polymorphisms have a long history in the study of evolutionary change acting on populations. The Odonata exhibit relatively high levels of sex-specific color polymorphisms in mature adults. In Ischnura and Coenagrion, female-specific polymorphisms are known to be controlled by Mendelian genes. Nearly half of Enallagma species have polymorphic females, but the inheritance…
While phylogeographic data provide valuable information to inform conservation plans, there are comparatively few Odonata phylogeographic studies. This lack of research is partially due to a lack of independent DNA markers with appropriate levels of polymorphism that PCR-amplify in a range of species. We followed an exon-primed, intron-crossing (EPIC) PCR strategy to develop five new,…
We compiled data on the occurrence and frequency of distinct female variants among Holarctic Odonata and interpreted the data in light of harassment-based hypotheses. The major source of male confusion for male mimicry hypotheses is predicted to be signal similarity between andromorphs and male distractors; for the learned mate recognition hypothesis (LMR), it is predicted…
In odonates, female specific color polymorphisms appear to be an evolutionary response to sexual harassment, but we know little about the decision rules males use when searching for variable females. For two sympatric species of Enallagma, we measured male responses to live female variants under field conditions, early and later in the day. In the…
It is often assumed that males do not choose among females because competition for partners is high and male mating costs are low. Nevertheless, this assumption does not always hold. In some species duration of copulation is long, possibly causing a limitation on the lifetime number of matings for males. In this case we expect…
This paper is dedicated to Philip S. Corbet on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
This paper is dedicated to Philip S. Corbet on the occasion of his 70th birthday.