Consistent patterns of variation in male genital size and shape in relation to the level of predation, and corresponding patterns of (co)variation in female genital morphology are found, which point to a role for sexually antagonistic selection.
It was found that the prevalence of sexual cannibalism in this system was indeed affected by female body condition; females in poor condition were more likely to consume their potential mates than females in good condition, providing clear evidence for the foraging strategy hypothesis as an explanation for the maintenance ofSexual cannibalism for this species.
Investigating the relative importance of chemical and visual signalling in two Australian praying mantid species found the high level of habitat complexity, low population density and strong male dispersal capability of P. albofimbriata corresponded to the use of airborne sex pheromones, while the open habitat, high population density, and poor dispersal of C. biseriata corresponding to a greater reliance on short-range visual cues for mate location.
The scaling relationship between rostrum and body size is characterised and it is shown that males have a steep positive allometry, but that the slope is non-linear due to a relative reduction in roStrum length for the largest males, suggesting a limitation in resource allocation or a diminishing requirement for large males to invest increasingly into larger rostra.
The study suggests that the variable genital shape of Ciulfina may have been selected for more efficient sperm transfer, suggesting that genital morphology is under sexual selection in this species.
R remarkable weapon trimorphism within a single species, where two exaggerated weapon morphs and a third morph with reduced weaponry are present, has significant implications for understanding weapon diversity and maintenance of polymorphism.
It seems that mounting from the rear of a female or slowly approaching her from the front, allows many males to go unnoticed and, therefore, substantially reduces the risk of sexual cannibalism in this mating system.
Here, current high-priority issues in New Zealand entomology are identified by being of national entomological interest, and in urgent need of research or attention, and a list of nine priority areas is presented.
It is demonstrated that native males are more attracted to the chemical cues of introduced females than those of conspecific females, which provides evidence for a mechanism behind displacement that has until now been undetected and highlights the potential for reproductive interference to greatly influence the impact of an invasive species.