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29 September 2023 Allometric Relationships between Body Width and Horn Size in the Dung Beetle Onthophagus hecate (Panzer, 1794) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)
Lauren Johnson, Lauren Cheshire, Elizabeth Rowen, Teiya Kijimoto
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Abstract

Dung beetles in the genus Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 develop horns from their pronotum or heads. The size of the horns is related to body size and follows either a linear or a distinct, polyphenic relationship. Here, we report the relationship between body size and pronotal horn size in Onthophagus hecate (Panzer, 1794), a common species native to North America. Like other species, the size relationship between pronotal width and pronotal horn was linear. For males, a longer pronotal horn is associated with more furcation and an increase in protuberances: beetles with pronotal horns < 3.65 mm had 2 protuberances, and beetles with horns > 4.27 mm had 4 protuberances. Males also displayed a prominent clypeus, which like their pronotal horn, increased linearly relative to their body size. These allometric relationships provide a baseline for further studies using O. hecate as a model for understanding the genetic and physiological mechanisms of developmental plasticity in insects.

Lauren Johnson, Lauren Cheshire, Elizabeth Rowen, and Teiya Kijimoto "Allometric Relationships between Body Width and Horn Size in the Dung Beetle Onthophagus hecate (Panzer, 1794) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)," The Coleopterists Bulletin 77(3), 299-306, (29 September 2023). https://doi.org/10.1649/0010-065X-77.3.299
Received: 11 January 2023; Accepted: 27 July 2023; Published: 29 September 2023
KEYWORDS
allometry
beetle horns
dung beetles
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