Eur. J. Entomol. 119: 413-420, 2022 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2022.043

Sex- and size-dependent variation in wing morphology of the cuckoo wasp Trichrysis cyanea (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae)Original article

David FRÖHLICH ORCID...1, Lukas ZANGL ORCID...1, 2, Günther RASPOTNIG ORCID...1, Stephan KOBLMÜLLER ORCID...1
1 Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria; e-mails: david.froehlich@uni-graz.at, lukas.zangl@uni-graz.at, guenther.raspotnig@uni-graz.at, stephan.koblmueller@uni-graz.at
2 Universalmuseum Joanneum, Studienzentrum Naturkunde, Weinzöttlstraße 16, 8045 Graz, Austria; e-mail: lukas.zangl@museum-joanneum.at

Intraspecific variation and sexual dimorphism in wing shape and size is common in winged insects. The exact patterns, however, differ among taxa and are related to the selection pressure acting on specific traits. Cuckoo wasps (Chrysdidae) are hymenopterans that have evolved a complex parasitoid or cleptoparasitic life-style. For the first time, we studied the intraspecific variation in wing shape and size in the model species, Trichysis cyanea, a common Palearctic cuckoo wasp. This involved geometric morphometrics combined with a novel, non-invasive way of obtaining images, to study the shape and size of the forewings of males and females. We found clear sexual dimorphism in both wing shape and size, possibly related to fecundity (as wing size typically correlates with body size in many insects) and increased manoeuvrability of females for searching for their host's nesting holes. This study increases our knowledge of the biology of T. cyanea in terms of a better understanding of the evolution of parasitism and corresponding adaptations in this hymenopteran family.

Keywords: Landmark-based geometric morphometrics, centroid size, sexual size dimorphism (SSD), wing venation, flight behaviour, flight performance

Received: June 10, 2022; Revised: September 29, 2022; Accepted: September 29, 2022; Published online: November 9, 2022  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
FRÖHLICH, D., ZANGL, L., RASPOTNIG, G., & KOBLMÜLLER, S. (2022). Sex- and size-dependent variation in wing morphology of the cuckoo wasp Trichrysis cyanea (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae). EJE, 119, Article 413-420. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2022.043
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Åke Norberg R. 1972: The pterostigma of insect wings an inertial regulator of wing pitch. - J. Comp. Physiol. 81: 9-22. Go to original source...
    2. Benítez H.A., Bravi R., Parra L.E., Sanzana M.-J. & Sepúlveda-Zúñiga E. 2013: Allometric and non-allometric patterns in sexual dimorphism discrimination of wing shape in Ophion intricatus: might two male morphotypes coexist? - J. Insect Sci. 13(143): 10 pp. Go to original source...
    3. Betts C.R. & Wootton R.J. 1988: Wing shape and flight behaviour in butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea): A preliminary analysis. - J. Exp. Biol. 138: 271-288. Go to original source...
    4. Bots J., Breuker C.J., van Kerkhove A., van Dongen S., Bruyn L. de & van Gossum H. 2009: Variation in flight morphology in a female polymorphic damselfly: intraspecific, intrasexual, and seasonal differences. - Can. J. Zool. 87: 86-94. Go to original source...
    5. Breuker C.J., Brakefield P.M. & Gibbs M. 2007: The association between wing morphology and dispersal is sex-specific in the glanville fritillary butterfly Melitaea cinxia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). - Eur. J. Entomol. 104: 445-452. Go to original source...
    6. Combes S.A. & Daniel T.L. 2001: Shape, flapping and flexion: Wing and fin design for forward flight. - J. Exp. Biol. 204: 2073-2085. Go to original source...
    7. Danforth B.N. 1989: The evolution of hymenopteran wings: the importance of size. - J. Zool. 218: 247-276. Go to original source...
    8. DeVries P.J., Penz C.M. & Hill R.I. 2010: Vertical distribution, flight behaviour and evolution of wing morphology in Morpho butterflies. - J. Anim. Ecol. 79: 1077-1085. Go to original source...
    9. Dudley R. 2018: The Biomechanics of Insect Flight. Form, Function, Evolution. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 497 pp. Go to original source...
    10. Fröhlich D., Zangl L., Raspotnig G. & Koblmüller S. 2022: Inter- and intrasexual variation in cuticular hydrocarbons in Trichrysis cyanea (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae). - Insects 13(2): 159, 10 pp. Go to original source...
    11. García Z. & Sarmiento C.E. 2012: Relationship between body size and flying-related structures in Neotropical social wasps (Polistinae, Vespidae, Hymenoptera). - Zoomorphology 131: 25-35. Go to original source...
    12. Grimaldi D.A. & Engel M.S. 2005: Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 755 pp.
    13. Hammer Ø., Harper D.A. & Ryan P.D. 2001: PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. - Palaeontol. Electron. 4(1): 4, 9 pp.
    14. Hassall C. 2015: Strong geographical variation in wing aspect ratio of a damselfly, Calopteryx maculata (Odonata: Zygo­ptera). - PeerJ 3: e1219, 17 pp. Go to original source...
    15. Hernández-L. N., Barragán Á.R., Dupas S., Silvain J.-F. & Dangles O. 2010: Wing shape variations in an invasive moth are related to sexual dimorphism and altitude. - Bull. Entomol. Res. 100: 529-541. Go to original source...
    16. Hoffmann A.A. & Shirriffs J. 2002: Geographic variation for wing shape in Drosophila serrata. - Evolution 56: 1068-1073. Go to original source...
    17. Honìk A. 1993: Intraspecific variation in body size and fecundity in insects: a general relationship. - Oikos 66: 483-492. Go to original source...
    18. Jenkins D.G., Brescacin C.R., Duxbury C.V., Elliott J.A., Evans J.A., Grablow K.R., Hillegass M., Lyon B.N., Metzger G.A., Olandese M.L., Pepe D., Silvers G.A., Suresch H.N., Thompson T.N., Trexler C.M., Williams G.E., Williams N.C. & Williams S.E. 2007: Does size matter for dispersal distance? - Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 16: 415-425. Go to original source...
    19. Jeratthitikul E., Yago M. & Hikida T. 2014: Sexual dimorphism and intraspecific variation in wing size and shape of Tongeia fischeri (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). - Entomol. Sci. 17: 342-353. Go to original source...
    20. Johansson F., Söderquist M. & Bokma F. 2009: Insect wing shape evolution: independent effects of migratory and mate guarding flight on dragonfly wings. - Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 97: 362-372. Go to original source...
    21. Kimsey L.S. & Bohart R.M. 1990: The Chrysidid Wasps of the World. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 652 pp. Go to original source...
    22. Kingsolver J.G. 1983: Ecological significance of flight activity in colias butterflies: Implications for reproductive strategy and population structure. - Ecology 64: 546-551. Go to original source...
    23. Linsenmaier W. 1997: Die Goldwespen der Schweiz. Natur-Museum Luzern, 140 pp.
    24. Loh R., David J.R., Debat V. & Bitner-Mathá B.C. 2008: Adaptation to different climates results in divergent phenotypic plasticity of wing size and shape in an invasive drosophilid. - J. Genet. 87: 209-217. Go to original source...
    25. Mielczarek L.E., Oleksa A., Meyza K. & Tofilski A. 2016: Seasonal polyphenism in Eristalis pertinax (Diptera: Syrphidae). - Eur. J. Entomol. 113: 489-496. Go to original source...
    26. Mikac K.M., Douglas J. & Spencer J.L. 2013: Wing shape and size of the western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is related to sex and resistance to soybean-maize crop rotation. - J. Econ. Entomol. 106: 1517-1524. Go to original source...
    27. Outomuro D., Dijkstra K.-D.B. & Johansson F. 2013: Habitat variation and wing coloration affect wing shape evolution in dragonflies. - J. Evol. Biol. 26: 1866-1874. Go to original source...
    28. Outomuro D., Söderquist L., Nilsson-Örtman V., Cortázar-Chinarro M., Lundgren C. & Johansson F. 2016: Antagonistic natural and sexual selection on wing shape in a scrambling damselfly. - Evolution 70: 1582-1595. Go to original source...
    29. Pauli T., Castillo-Cajas R.F., Rosa P., Kukowka S., Berg A., van den Berghe E., Fornoff F., Hopfenmüller S., Niehuis M., Peters R.S., Staab M., Strumia F., Tischendorf S., Schmitt T. & Niehuis O. 2019: Phylogenetic analysis of cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) reveals a partially artificial classification at the genus level and a species-rich clade of bee parasitoids. - Syst. Entomol. 44: 322-335. Go to original source...
    30. Perrard A., Villemant C., Carpenter J.M. & Baylac M. 2012: Differences in caste dimorphism among three hornet species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): forewing size, shape and allometry. - J. Evol. Biol. 25: 1389-1398. Go to original source...
    31. Petroviæ A., Tomanoviæ ®., Kavallieratos N.G., Bogdanoviæ A.M., Starý P. & Ivanoviæ A. 2014: Sexual dimorphism in the parasitoid wasps Aphidius balcanicus, Aphidius rosae, and Aphidius urticae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae). - Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 107: 1027-1032. Go to original source...
    32. Pretorius E. 2005: Using geometric morphometrics to investigate wing dimorphism in males and females of Hymenoptera - a case study based on the genus Tachysphex Kohl (Hymeno­ptera: Sphecidae: Larrinae). - Aust. J. Entomol. 44: 113-121. Go to original source...
    33. Rohlf J.F. 2015: The tps series of software. - Hystrix 26: 9-12.
    34. Rohner P.T., Teder T., Esperk T., Lüpold S. & Blanckenhorn W.U. 2018: The evolution of male-biased sexual size dimorphism is associated with increased body size plasticity in males. - Funct. Ecol. 32: 581-591. Go to original source...
    35. Salcedo M.K., Hoffmann J., Donoughe S. & Mahadevan L. 2019: Computational analysis of size, shape and structure of insect wings. - Biology Open 8(10): bio040774, 9 pp. Go to original source...
    36. Serrano-Meneses M.A., Córdoba-Aguilar A., Azpilicueta-Amorín M., González-Soriano E. & Székely T. 2008: Sexual selection, sexual size dimorphism and Rensch's rule in Odonata. - J. Evol. Biol. 21: 1259-1273. Go to original source...
    37. Stillwell R.C., Blanckenhorn W.U., Teder T., Davidowitz G. & Fox C.W. 2010: Sex differences in phenotypic plasticity affect variation in sexual size dimorphism in insects: From physiology to evolution. - Annu. Rev. Entomol. 55: 227-245. Go to original source...
    38. Suárez-Tovar C.M. & Sarmiento C.E. 2016: Beyond the wing planform: morphological differentiation between migratory and nonmigratory dragonfly species. - J. Evol. Biol. 29: 690-703. Go to original source...
    39. Trexler J.C. 1984: Aggregation and homing in a chrysidid wasp. - Oikos 43: 133-137. Go to original source...
    40. Vágási C.I., Pap P.L., Vincze O., Osváth G., Erritzøe J. & Møller A.P. 2016: Morphological adaptations to migration in birds. - Evol. Biol. 43: 48-59. Go to original source...
    41. Wiesbauer H., Rosa P. & Zettel H. 2020: Die Goldwespen Mitteleuropas. Biologie, Lebensräume, Artenporträts. Ulmer, Stuttgart, 254 pp.
    42. Wi¶niowski B. 2015: Cuckoo-Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) of Poland. Diversity, Identification, Distribution. Ojców National Park, Ojców, 563 pp.
    43. Wootton R.J. 1992: Functional morphology of insect wings. - Annu. Rev. Entomol. 37: 113-140. Go to original source...
    44. Zelditch M.L., Swiderski D.L., Sheets H.D. & Fink W.L. 2004: Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists. A Primer. Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam, 443 pp.

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content