Insect or Invertebrates Identification - DONE

[Richprins]

Girls...

[Lisbeth]

[Klipspringer]

Males are indeed tougher, it's the same handicap hypothesis as for birds.

Mimikry constrained only to the females is related to heterogametic sex determination in male butterflies. The genes that determine the preferences of the females in selecting a mate are located on the female W-chromosome. If these genes ensure that the females will prefer males without the mimetic colouration, they will be spread by the mechanism described under the handicap hypothesis (and simultaneously sexual selection will occur in favour of the non-mimetic males). From the standpoint of functioning of the mechanism of handicaps, it is a key factor that the genes for preference for handicapped (non-mimetic) males located on the Y-chromosome can never occur in the bodies of males (in contrast to genes on autosomes or on the X-chromosome) and will always profit only from the advantages that the nonmimetic male phenotype provides without simultaneously participating in the disadvantages following from the given handicap (non-mimetic colouration). This hypothesis explains why butterflies and birds, i.e. taxons with heterogametic females (XY chromosomes), most frequently have brightly coloured males and more or less cryptically coloured females.


A very entertaining species to study Nature is just amazing when it comes to the gender variations.

[Lisbeth]

Nature is always amazing and the more you get to know, the more there is still to be discovered

[Saint In The City]

Hi everybody,
here is some kind of Dung Beetle. Can anybody tell me the exact species please?

It's quite similar to a Giant Flattened Dung Beetle (Pachylomera femoralis), but less structured.
It was spotted at the top of the Waterberg Plateau Park in Namibia in June.
Thanks and greetings.
Saint
PS: please don't ask me about the lenght, because I don't know it exactly.

[Lisbeth]

I am going to leave this one to Klipspringer

[Klipspringer]

You are right, Saint

Field Guide to Insects of South Africa, Mike Picker.jpg (99.62 KiB) Viewed 437 times

[Richprins]

50mm!?

[Lisbeth]

It is a Giant Flattened Dung Beetle then?

[Klipspringer]

It is a Giant Flattened Dung Beetle then?