The Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) albitarsis complex includes six species: An. albitarsis, Anopheles oryzalimnetes Wilkerson and Motoki, n. sp., Anopheles marajoara, Anopheles deaneorum, Anopheles janconnae Wilkerson and Sallum, n. sp. and An. albitarsis F. Except for An. deaneorum, species of the complex are indistinguishable when only using morphology. The problematic distinction among species of...

The musculature of male genitalia was studied hitherto only in two species of Tephritidae, one species of Platystomatidae, one species of Pallopteridae, and three species of Ulidiidae of the superfamily Tephritoidea. The split of the hypandrium from one structure into three (the hypandrium and two lateral sclerites) is traced. The hypandrial origin of the lateral sclerites of the hypandrial com...

The morphology of arthropod intromittent organs evolves rapidly and is often species specific, phenomena widely attributed to sexual selection. Similar patterns in biomechanical properties may also exist, but practical challenges in manipulating small structures and measuring minute forces has impeded experimental biomechanical analysis. Here we describe a device that displaces a small structur...

A new species of the genus Platoplusia Ronkay, Ronkay & Behounek, 2008, florianii sp. n. is described from Yunnan Province (continental China). The second known member which was considered to be monotypic. Adults and male genitalia are illustrated.

The female genitalia of the Cicadellidae (leafhoppers) are usually considered more morphologically conservative (i.e., less variable) than the male genitalia at the generic and specific levels. However, various recent publications on the Cicadellinae (sharpshooters) have demonstrated the existence of useful characters in the female genitalia for the recognition of genera and species. Here we de...

External genitalia are anatomical structures located at the posterior embryonic region as part of several urogenital/reproductive organs. The embryonic anlage of the external genitalia, the genital tubercle (GT) develops as a bud-shaped structure with an initial urethral plate and later urethra. Embryonic external genitalia are considered to be one of the appendages. Recent experiments suggest ...

In animals with internal fertilization and promiscuous mating, male genitalia show rapid and divergent evolution. Three hypotheses have been suggested to explain the evolutionary processes responsible for genital evolution: the lock-and-key hypothesis, the pleiotropy hypothesis and the sexual-selection hypothesis. Here, we determine whether variation in male genital morphology influences fertil...

The aim of this study rests on three premises: (i) humans are altering ecosystems worldwide, (ii) environmental variation often influences the strength and nature of sexual selection, and (iii) sexual selection is largely responsible for rapid and divergent evolution of male genitalia. While each of these assertions has strong empirical support, no study has yet investigated their logical concl...

Female resistance behavior that occurs prior to intromission does not by itself imply forced copulation. Such behavior may function instead as a test of the male in order to favor some males over others, or to induce the male to desist. Thus, male persistence and forcefullness may sometimes be better described as persuasion rather than coercion. Under the persuasion hypothesis, the male only ga...