The association between wing morphology and dispersal is sex-specific in the glanville fritillary butterfly Melitaea cinxia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Abstract

Abstract. We examined whether dispersal was associated with body and wing morphology and individual quality, and whether such an association was sex-specific, in the Glanville fritillary butterfly Melitaea cinxia (L.) in Paldiski on the north coast of Estonia. Body weight, size and shape of both fore-and hindwing, wing aspect ratio and wing loading were used as measures of body and wing morphology. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of wing shape was used as a measure of individual quality. Males and females did not differ in dispersal rates, despite large differences in overall morphology and FA. Females had a significantly higher wing loading and aspect ratio, but a lower FA than males. Females, but not males, that dispersed differed in forewing shape from those that did not disperse. The sex-specifity of the covariation between dispersal and forewing shape is most probably due to wing shape being associated with different life-history traits in both sexes, resulting in different selection pressures on wing shape in each of the sexes.

Replenishment success linked to fluctuating asymmetry in larval fish

“…Asymmetry of the wing, tail and tarsus did not affect orientation during migration in three European birds (Sylvia atricapilla, Phoenicurus phoenicurus, Erithacus rubecula) (Matessi 1997). Likewise, the FA of wing shape did not differentiate between dispersal rates in a butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) from the north coast of Estonia (Breuker et al 2007). Our results suggest that the information incorporated into the otolith shape is in some way related (either directly or indirectly through other variables) to the strength of replenishment pulses.…”

Latitudinal gradient effect on the wing geometry of Auca coctei (Guérin)(Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)

“…Although they have intersecting areas, each of them had a significantly different wing shape. There are many processes which could explain the fact that all males had a straight wing marginal border while females had a concave border (Dudley 2000;Breuker et al 2007a). These variations may be explained by the flight characteristics of lepidopterans.…”

Body Size and Wing Shape Measurements as Quality Indicators of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Destined for Field Release

“…Wing loading as measured by weight to wing span has been shown to affect dispersal in insects such as butterflies and damselflies. [28][29][30][31] In Drosophila, there is evidence for an association between wing loading and resource finding ability that contributes to an antagonistic interaction between wing size and thorax length. 32 An association between wing shape and fitness has also been suggested in insects including parasitoids (e.g., Reference 10), although some researchers have suggested that shape may be phenotypically invariable and unlikely to affect fitness.…”