Extreme male leg polymorphic asymmetry in a new empidine dance fly (Diptera: Empididae).
A new dance fly (Empididae: Empidinae) with hugely modified male fore tarsus, either on the right, left, both or neither sides, is described from Japan. Such massive polymorphic asymmetry occurring with so high an incidence in a population is previously unreported. In view of the courtship behaviour of other Empidinae, we hypothesize that the oversized tarsus is a secondary sexual character employed by males for attracting females. Alternative hypotheses are also discussed. We suggest that this extraordinary new species is a potential model for the study of mating biology in Empidinae and the evolution of mating systems in general.
Daugeron
Christophe
C
Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Département Systématique et Evolution, UMR 7205 CNRS, , 45 rue Buffon-CP 50, 75005 Paris, France. daugeron@mnhn.fr
Plant
Adrian
A
Winkler
Isaac
I
Stark
Andreas
A
Baylac
Michel
M
D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D005121:Extremities / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013045:Species Specificity