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Aedeagal Divergence in Sympatric Populations of Two Sibling Species of Cactophilic Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae): Evidence of Character Displacement?

  • Systematics, Morphology and Physiology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Aedeagal morphology of two sibling cactophilic species, Drosophila buzzatii Patterson & Wheeler and Drosophila koepferae Fontdevila & Wasserman, was analyzed in nine allopatric and three sympatric locations throughout South America. Morphological differences were detected for both aedeagus size and shape between sympatric and allopatric populations of D. buzzatii, despite the significant variability within both groups. Populations of D. buzzatii sympatric with D. koepferae displayed smaller aedeagus than the allopatric ones as well as more differentiated aedeagus shape. The shape differences were non-allometric and mainly consisted in a change of curvature of the dorsal margin of the aedeagus being more pronounced in males from populations sympatric with D. koepferae. It is concluded that aedeagal morphology presented some degree of character displacement in both size and shape in populations of D. buzzatii in sympatry with D. koepferae. These results might suggest the existence of mechanisms of interspecific recognition and hybridization prevention between these species that include the morphology of the male genitalia.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are extended to VP Carreira, E Hasson, N Lavagnino and JJ Fanara for sample collection. I also thank E Soto, VP Carreira and E Hasson for insightful comments during the elaboration of this manuscript. I am also grateful to the three anonymous reviewers for their comments and constructive criticisms that helped to improve the previous version of this paper. This work was supported by CONICET and grants of Universidad de Buenos Aires and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Técnica (ANPCyT).

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  1. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires, IEGEBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Ignacio M Soto

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  1. Ignacio M Soto
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Correspondence to Ignacio M Soto.

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Edited by Roberto A Zucchi – ESALQ/USP

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Soto, I.M. Aedeagal Divergence in Sympatric Populations of Two Sibling Species of Cactophilic Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae): Evidence of Character Displacement?. Neotrop Entomol 41, 207–213 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-012-0028-x

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