Female mate choice in a subsocial beetle: male phenotype correlates with helping potential and offspring survival

摘要

In Parastizopus armaticeps (Tenebrionidae) a nocturnal desert beetle, the males excavate breeding burrows and maintain their moisture level while the females provision the larvae with detritus collected on the surface. The beetles court in small groups on the surface at night after rain. Male size distribution in these groups corresponded to that in the population but more large and fewer small females were present than expected and more large beetles of both sexes bred. Offspring number correlated positively with burrow depth and body length for males but not for females.