Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Comparative display behaviour of the native Iguana delicatissima with the non-native Iguana in the Guadeloupe Archipelago (Lesser Antilles)","authors":"Vincent L. Bels ,&nbsp;Clément Brousse ,&nbsp;Eric Pelle ,&nbsp;Jérôme Guerlotté ,&nbsp;Marie-Ange Pierre ,&nbsp;Florence Kirchhoff ,&nbsp;Peter A. Biro","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126239","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Territorial and mating displays are a key mechanism affecting sexual selection, species recognition, and may affect success of non-native species in the presence of closely related ones. The green Iguana (<em>Iguana iguana</em>) has invaded Caribbean islands from their mainland range, affecting and possibly inter-breeding with native <em>Iguana</em>. However, important display behaviours have not been studied, even though it may be a rare opportunity to study adaptation and evolutionary change. Here, we describe the display-action-patterns (DAP) characterising the head-bob display of the two <em>Iguana</em> species of the Caribbean islands <em>Iguana delicatissima</em> (endemic Lesser Antillean <em>Iguana</em>) and non-native <em>Iguana</em> (closely related non-native species) in the Guadeloupe Archipelago. First, the DAP sequence of non-native <em>Iguana</em> is completely different from mainland animals, with reversed positions of the long and short head bobs. In the non-native <em>Iguana</em>, two long head-bobs (&gt;1.0 s) separated by a highly variable pause (0.1 – 2.8 s) are followed by a series of 3–7 (up to 9) rapid head bobs (&lt;0.5 s), is followed by one phase always with two longer. In native <em>I. delicatissima,</em> the DAP is always initiated with a vibratory gular movement of the extended dewlap in <em>I. delicatissima</em>, but not in the non-native <em>Iguana</em>. Duration of the DAP sequence is significantly shorter in non-native <em>Iguana,</em> always beginning with one singular long head bob (&gt;1.5 s) followed by 3–6 more rapid head bobs. In addition, we observed significant among individual variation in all aspects of the DAP studied, indicating the potential for natural selection to further act on head-bob displays in the non-native and native species. This study now sets the stage to for future studies to determine if behaviour is a cause or consequence of invasion success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126239"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermal biology of Indian rock pythons in tropical India","authors":"C.S. Vishnu ,&nbsp;Chinnasamy Ramesh ,&nbsp;Merin Jacob,&nbsp;Vedagiri Thirumurugan ,&nbsp;Gautam Talukdar","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126241","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126241","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Temperature plays a crucial role in the physiology of snakes. However, only very limited studies on python thermal biology have been carried out in tropical regions. Here we recorded body temperature (BT) changes of the celomic cavity with respect to atmospheric temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) of five Indian Rock pythons <em>Python molurus</em> in the field. The monitoring of the pythons’ thermal ecology lasted throughout 2019 and 2020 and included all seasons i.e., monsoon, post-monsoon and summer. We tagged 13 Pythons with iButtons, but we were only able to retrieve data from five individuals. The AT and RH contributed significantly to the maintenance of the pythons’ BT. Generally, python BT positively related to the AT and negatively to RH i.e., an increasing AT led to an increasing python BT, while an increasing RH led to a decreasing BT. RH played a crucial role in python body temperature regulation; this could be attributed to the high humidity during the rainfall. Python BT varied inter-seasonally and individually, indicating that python BT varied according to the surrounding AT. However, BT differed between the sexes. Our study provides baseline information for further studies on how environmental factors affect the physiology of large -bodied snakes in tropical climates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126241"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143152802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The scent of habitat shift: Olfactory receptor evolution is associated with environmental transitions in turtles","authors":"Alejandro Ibáñez ,&nbsp;Joan Garcia-Porta","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition between aquatic and terrestrial habitats leads to extreme structural changes in sensorial systems. Olfactory receptors (OR) are involved in the detection of odorant molecules both in water and on land. Therefore, ORs are affected by evolutionary habitat transitions experienced by organisms. In this study, we used turtles, a group of vertebrates which inhabit many distinct environments, to explore whether functional olfactory gene receptor repertoires are correlated to habitat. We found that the proportion of class I vs class II functional olfactory receptor genes (used for waterborne odorant detection and volatile odorant detection, respectively) was closely linked to habitat. Fully terrestrial turtles had the largest proportion of class II functional receptor genes while marine turtles had a larger proportion of class I receptor genes. Freshwater turtles had more balanced numbers of class I and class II functional receptor genes, but showed a gradient of OR type proportions likely reflecting species-specific amphibious preferences. Interestingly, freshwater turtles had by far the largest number of functional OR genes compared to those in other habitats, challenging the hypothesis that secondary adaptions to water may have reduced OR repertoires in amniotes. Our study provides novel results which shed new light on the relationship between chemical communication and habitat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 126236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142879302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of intraspecific mechanical and chemical signaling for mate and sexual recognition in male Tityus pusillus (Scorpiones, Buthidae)","authors":"Hugo R. Barbosa-da-Silva ,&nbsp;Wendel J.T. Pontes ,&nbsp;André F.A. Lira ,&nbsp;Daniela M.A.F. Navarro ,&nbsp;Renato P. Salomão ,&nbsp;Artur C.D. Maia","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126235","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126235","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrophobic compounds present in the cuticular wax layer (CWL) of terrestrial arthropods protect them from dehydration and are also involved in chemical communication. However, the role of CWL compounds in the behavioral ecology of scorpions has been studied less often, with most investigations focusing on their responses to mechanical stimuli. In this study, we aimed to characterize the CWL composition of <em>Tityus pusillus</em> (Scorpiones, Buthidae) and examine the influence of CWL solvent extracts and movement on intraspecific mate and sexual recognition by males of this species. We analyzed CWL hexane extracts of adult female and male <em>T. pusillus</em> by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In paired behavioral tests inside an experimental arena, we exposed adult males to i) live and intact dead conspecific females; ii) intact dead females and females without the CWL (removed with solvent washes); and iii) intact dead males with and without the CWL. Our results showed that CWL extracts of both female and male <em>T. pusillus</em> contained a series of linear alkanes (C21 – C34; &gt; 54 % relative composition), as well as fatty acyls (&gt; 9.5 %) and methyl-branched alkanes (&gt; 9.1 %). Two unassigned C31 monomethyl-branched alkanes were exclusively identified in male CWL extracts (∼ 4.7 %), while female samples contained high relative concentrations (&gt; 22.5 %) of sterol derivatives, present only as minor constituents in male samples. Male <em>T. pusillus</em> performed sexually-oriented behavioral acts when paired with both live and dead conspecific females, intact or without the CWL. However, they ignored conspecific dead males. Our results show that CWL compounds have a role in intraspecific sexual recognition by male <em>T. pusillus</em> but only the CWL compounds does not explain mate recognition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 126235"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142857491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parasitism in coral reefs: Trophic ecology of crustacean ascothoracidan parasites and their coral hosts from Malaysia","authors":"Anna K. Zalota ,&nbsp;Alexandra S. Savchenko ,&nbsp;Aleksei A. Miroliubov ,&nbsp;Khor Waiho ,&nbsp;Hanafiah Fazhan ,&nbsp;Benny K.K. Chan ,&nbsp;Gregory A. Kolbasov","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126234","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126234","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coral reefs house a great variety of symbiotic associations, including parasitism. One of the crucial issues in the host-symbiont interactions is the parasites’ feeding mode. Does the parasite/symbiont use the host’s tissues for nutrition, steal food from the host’s digestive system, or take food directly from the environment? However, most of the parasitism in corals is endosymbiotic (endoparasitic). Their trophic interactions are difficult to identify since they only occur in intact associations. This work uses stable isotope analysis (SIA) of carbon and nitrogen and morphological analysis to study the trophic relationship between the crustacean endoparasites, the Ascothoracida (genera <em>Baccalaureus, Sessilogoga</em>, and <em>Zibrowia</em>) and their various coral hosts ranging from Zoantharia (<em>Palythoa</em>) to Antipatharia (<em>Antipathes</em>), and Scleractinia (<em>Dendrophyllia</em>). The hosts belong to different coral taxa and obtain food from different sources, reflected in their stable isotope values. The SIA, supported by the morphological analysis, suggests that the <em>Zibrowia</em> parasite feeds directly on its <em>Dendrophyllia</em> host. <em>Sessilogoga</em> retains vagility within and around the black coral colony. It has typical generalized piercing mouth parts with numerous teeth and denticles. <em>Sessilogoga</em> may use antipatharian tissues for food directly as well as sucks food fluids from the host’s gastrovascular system. There is no clear trophic shift trend between <em>Palythoa</em> and its parasite <em>Baccalaureus</em>. Such differences exclude the possibility of the parasite feeding predominantly on its host’s tissues and suggest a broad spectrum of food sources. Thus, SIA reveals that endosymbiotic ascothoracidans may not always be true parasitic but also opportunistic feeders, which steal food directly from the host gastric cavity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 126234"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142776177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disruption of BMP and FGF signaling prior to blastema formation causes permanent bending and skeletal malformations in Poecilia latipinna tail fin","authors":"Isha Ranadive,&nbsp;Sonam Patel,&nbsp;Siddharth Pai,&nbsp;Kashmira Khaire,&nbsp;Suresh Balakrishnan","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Teleost fish, such as <em>Poecilia latipinna</em>, exhibit remarkable regenerative capabilities, making them excellent models for studying tissue regrowth. They regenerate body parts like the tail fin through epimorphic regeneration, involving wound healing, blastema formation (a pool of proliferative cells), and tissue differentiation. Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) and Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signaling pathways play crucial roles in this process, but their specific functions during blastema formation remain unclear. To explore this, BMP and FGF signaling were inhibited using targeted drug treatments prior to blastema formation in amputated tail fins. The treatment group of <em>P. latipinna</em> received drugs at set intervals, and analyses were conducted using skeletal staining, gene expression via quantitative real-time PCR, and protein analysis with Western blotting to assess blastema formation, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, and skeletal patterning. Dual inhibition of BMP and FGF pathways led to significant regenerative defects, including bent blastema and disrupted bone structure, along with downregulation of essential patterning genes like <em>sonic hedgehog</em> (Shh) and <em>bmp2b</em>. Additionally, ECM remodeling and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were impaired, as shown by reduced matrix metalloproteinases (MMP2 and MMP9), hindering cell migration and blastema stability. Cell proliferation was markedly decreased, as evidenced by reduced proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation, while apoptosis increased, with elevated markers like <em>caspase 3</em> (casp3) and higher DNA fragmentation. These findings indicate that BMP and FGF signaling are essential for blastema formation and skeletal patterning, with their inhibition causing major regenerative abnormalities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 126237"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143019474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating a novel algorithm in assessing the impact of floods on the genetic diversity of a high commercial value fish (Cyprinidae: Spinibarbus sp.) in Lang Son province of Vietnam","authors":"Tuan Anh Trieu ,&nbsp;Hau Duc Tran ,&nbsp;Anh Ngoc Thi Do","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Floods, which occur when the amount of precipitation surpasses the capacity of an area to drain it adequately, have detrimental consequences on the survival and future generations of fishes. However, few works have reported the prediction of this natural phenomenon in a relation to certain fish species, especially in fast-flowing rivers. In the specific context of the northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam, where the <em>Spinibarbus</em> sp. fish species resides, it has been observed through the current study that the fish population in Lang Son exhibits the lowest genetic diversity and genetic distance. Consequently, the population of <em>Spinibarbus</em> sp<em>.</em> in Lang Son shows a heightened susceptibility to floods, resulting in reduction in population size and compromised population resilience. In order to provide decision support information for managers, conservationists, and researchers, we have employed a genetic algorithm-support vector machine regression (GA-SVR) predictive model to map flood vulnerability using thirteen dependent variables. The study findings have unveiled a significant negative correlation between flood-sensitive regions and genetic diversity. These discoveries emphasize the significance of considering the impact of floods on the genetic diversity of <em>Spinibarbus</em> sp. in Lang Son through flood vulnerability mapping. This underscores the value of establishing a comprehensive framework based on the GA-SVR algorithm for early flood detection, thereby facilitating the implementation of effective measures to minimize damages and conserve this commercial fish species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 126240"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143049293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cranial variation across spiny pocket mice (Heteromys, Liomys) in new phylogenetic and taxonomic perspectives","authors":"Bader H. Alhajeri ,&nbsp;Scott J. Steppan","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126238","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126238","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spiny pocket mice are usually divided into two genera, <em>Heteromys</em> and <em>Liomys</em>, and more recently the latter have been subsumed into the former, leaving subfamily Heteromyinae with one genus. However, this arrangement conveys false equivalency among heteromyines, and does not represent the great morphological, molecular, and ecological diversity in this subfamily. To address this, geometric morphometric methods were used to explore interspecific cranial variation in this subfamily, which were then evaluated in the context of recent phylogenetic and taxonomic findings. The dataset consisted of 65 landmarks on the crania of 328 adult voucher specimens (15 species, 114 localities). Allometry and habitat adaptation are potential explanations for some of the variation patterns. Morphometric clustering among some distant relatives suggests convergent adaptation to similar habitats. These results support recent taxonomic proposals for the subfamily based on molecular phylogenies, in which the three to four main lineages are assigned generic status. We summarize the evidence and describe their scaled cranial shape variation. These lineages consist of <em>Heteromys</em> as traditionally defined (i.e., not including <em>Liomys</em>) while the traditionally defined <em>Liomys</em> would be divided into the genera <em>Schaeferia</em> (<em>S. adspersus</em> + <em>S. salvini</em>), <em>Liomys sensu stricto</em> (<em>L. irroratus</em>), and potentially a fourth (new) undescribed/undiagnosed genus for <em>L. pictus</em> + <em>L. spectabilis</em>. The implications of the present study are that scaled cranial shape variation patterns align better with this modified taxonomy than earlier ones. Our results confirm the usefulness of geometric morphometrics in providing taxonomic insights in taxa that appear cryptic using traditional distance-based measurements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 126238"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143030694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seasonal dimorphism as an expression of sexual dimorphism: Influence of gonad maturity on the body shape of a rocky intertidal polyplacophoran","authors":"Brenda Paola Ramirez-Santana ,&nbsp;Isis Laura Alvarez-Garcia ,&nbsp;Omar Hernando Avila-Poveda ,&nbsp;Marcial Arellano-Martinez ,&nbsp;Sandra Milena Ospina-Garcés","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126224","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126224","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seasonal dimorphism in the body shape of marine invertebrates has been poorly explored compared to vertebrates. We aim to investigate through traditional (body length/width ratio, dorsal elevation ratio and angle of elevation) and geometric (centroid size and shape geometric configurations) morphometrics the effect of gonad maturity (via the gonadosomatic index [GSI] and gonad development stages [GDS]) on changes in body shape in males and females of two latitudinally different populations of the broadcast-spawning intertidal mollusc <em>Chiton articulatus</em>. We confirmed that <em>C. articulatus</em> does not present external sexual dimorphism since sex does not have a significant effect on body shape (1 %); instead, dimorphism was seasonal and related to the reproductive season, and varied across populations, probably because in the subtropical zone additional energy is invested in shell (scleritome) bending at the same time as the gonad matures, which is opposite of what occurs in the tropical zone. <em>C. articulatus</em> shows a narrower body shape (i.e., diminished body width) during its gonad maturity compared to the rest of the GDS and is corroborated by a body length/width ratio that contributes the greatest variation in the geometric shape descriptors (18 %), just below the centroid size (24 %). The expression of centroid size differences shows a correspondence with the change in body dimensions expressed by the three morphometric ratios during gonad maturity. The use of traditional body ratios over time may be useful in polyplacophoran molluscs as a proxy tool to estimate gonad maturity and to provide a reliable indication of the reproductive season.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 126224"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142565390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biotic factors as key determinants for ovarian and oothecal developmental plasticity of a tortoise beetle","authors":"Ruchita Shivprakash Tiwari ,&nbsp;Lankesh Yashwant Bhaisare ,&nbsp;Shivani Pathak ,&nbsp;Bhupendra Kumar ,&nbsp;Desh Deepak Chaudhary","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ovarian development in r-selected species is a highly dynamic process widely studied in various insect groups. An array of biotic and abiotic factors may influence it. So, the present investigation was to evaluate the impact of a female's age and mating status on the ovarian development, ootheca formation, body colour polymorphism, and fat content of the tortoise beetle, <em>Aspidomorpha miliaris</em> (Fabricius). Females of a certain age and mating status were dissected to demonstrate changes in their ovarioles, lateral oviduct, accessory gland, elytral colour, fat body content, and body size. It was predicted that age or mating status would not affect the ovarian parameters like length and width of ovarioles, lateral oviducts, accessory glands, body size, fat body content, and elytral colour. However, the ootheca-forming modifications would be initiated by ageing and mating. The current study demonstrated the substantial effect of age and mating status on the growth of the accessory glands and ovarioles. On the other hand, fat body contents declined comparatively in multiply-mated females. Besides this, the beetle exhibits elytral colour polymorphism till sexual maturity. An accessory gland was exclusively detected in multiply-mated females. This discovery opens opportunities for further investigation into the precise function of the gland, which is likely involved in the formation of ootheca.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"167 ","pages":"Article 126225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142634781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}