Abstract

Sexual selection on male body size in species with a female-biased sexual size dimorphism is common yet often poorly understood. In particular, in the majority of bee species, the relative contribution of intrasexual competition and female choice to patterns of male body size is unknown. In this field study, we examined two possible components of male mating success with respect to body size in the solitary bee Diadasia rinconis Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae): 1) ability to procure a mate and 2) the duration of copulation. We found that larger males were better able to procure mates and copulated for shorter periods of time. Although consistent with sperm competition theory, differences in copulation duration were slight; possibly, the shorter copulations of larger males instead reflect in copulo female choice. Consistent with this notion, males engaged in complex courtship while mounted, characterized for the first time in any bee in such detail via audio recordings and high-speed, high-definition video. The number of pulses in male courtship behavior was also positively associated with copulation duration and may have stimulated females to continue copulating, thereby potentially allowing smaller males to transfer a full ejaculate. Females were shown to be potentially polyandrous and although we did not observe precopulatory rejection in the field, captive females frequently rejected copulation attempts by captive males. Our work indicates that intrasexual competition selects for increased body size in a solitary bee.

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/iey083

Rights Information

© 2018 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords

Copulatory courtship, Female-biased sexual size dimorphism, Large male advantage, Sexual selection, Vibrational signal

Publication Date

7-1-2018

Journal Title

Journal of Insect Science

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