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Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

10-Minute Paper

SysEB: Evolution On-Demand Presentations

Shift in sex-related conspicuousness is associated with novel female behaviors in an African montane damselfly

On-Demand
On-Demand
Many damselfly species are sexually dimorphic, with colorful males and drab females.  These differences in coloration are often associated with reproductive behavior:  colorful males displaying for potential mates, competing with male conspecifics, and sometimes defending territories. The African species Pseudagrion bicoerulans, where males are dark green while females are bright blue and green, was suggested to reverse this color trend.  Are these females more conspicuous than their male conspecifics, and does this difference relate to differences in sex-associated behavior?  Using standardized images of male and female P. bicoerulans (and males of the congener P. spernatum, a species with conspicuous males and drab females), we quantified color saturation and internal contrast in the red, green and blue (RGB) color channels. We also measured RGB saturation in photos of male and female P. bicoerulans pairs taken with a UV-pass filter. Percent saturation and internal contrast were higher in female P. bicoerulans than in conspecific males; males of P. spernatum showed higher levels of color saturation overall, but were only significantly higher than P. bicoerulans females in the R and G channels. Female P. bicoerulans had higher internal contrast than conspecific males; they did not differ in UV color saturation.  In observational studies, males were significantly more aggressive to nearby damselflies than females, but there was no significant difference in the tendency to remain in a discrete area. When compared to females of other damselfly species, females of P. bicoerulans showed higher fidelity to a particular site and were significantly more aggressive.