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Investigating the Effects of Male Size and Pronotal Glowspots on Female Courtship Behaviour of the Glowspot Cockroach (Lucihormetica verrucosa)

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Abstract

Lucihormetica verrucosa (Blattodea, Blaberidae) are highly sexually dimorphic cockroaches, with the males having two symmetrically organised ‘glowspots’ on their pronotum. The spots can range in colour from whitish-yellow to red, depending on the quantity of carotenoids in their diet. These spots auto-fluoresce when exposed to UV wavelengths, with the amount of fluorescence inversely related to the carotenoid content. The diet-dependent aspect of the pronotal spots insinuates that they are a fitness-dependent trait and thus inform sexual selection, but existing studies have not directly investigated the role of the pronotal spots in courtship behaviour. Invertebrate sexual selection is commonly informed by male size, with females selecting for smaller males. Small male size can have less cost towards females and may help males in competition for mates. This study looked at whether female courtship behaviour is influenced by (1) mass of the males or (2) the presence/absence of the male pronotal spots. It was found that (1) the mass of the males did not significantly affect the frequency of female courtship behaviours. However, (2) the presence of the male pronotal spots did significantly affect the frequency of female interactive behaviours (those where the female directly interacts with the male), including antennal feeling, mounting, and touching body-to-body. The results suggest that (1) the mass of males does not inform female mate choice but (2) females do consider the male pronotal spots.

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Data Availability

The authors declare that the datasets generated during this study are available upon request from the corresponding author of this publication.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Vanessa Jenkins for assistance with animal husbandry throughout this project.

Funding

The authors received no financial support to conduct this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK

    Ella X. Whitaker & Alexander D. M. Wilson

  2. IUCN UK Peatland Programme, c/o Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, The Kiln, Mather Road, Newark, NG24 1WT, UK

    Jane Akerman

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Contributions

Ella X. Whitaker and Alexander D. M. Wilson were responsible for creating the methodology. Ella X. Whitaker and Jane Akerman were responsible for the lab-based data collection. Ella X. Whitaker, Jane Akerman and Alexander D. M. Wilson wrote the main manuscript text and Ella X. Whitaker prepared Fig. 1 and Table 1 and 2. Ella X. Whitaker, Jane Akerman and Alexander D. M. Wilson contributed to discussion ideas. Ella X. Whitaker, Jane Akerman and Alexander D. M. Wilson all edited and reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ella X. Whitaker.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. This study involved manipulations and the handling of live invertebrates. No ethical permission was needed as there was no long-term damage to the organisms or euthanasia. Measures were taken to minimise the amount of handling and harm.

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Whitaker, E.X., Akerman, J. & Wilson, A.D.M. Investigating the Effects of Male Size and Pronotal Glowspots on Female Courtship Behaviour of the Glowspot Cockroach (Lucihormetica verrucosa). J Insect Behav (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09853-y

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