Courtship and Female Choice in the Horned Beetle, Bolitotherus cornutus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

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Abstract
Beetle horns may have evolved through inter- or intrasexual selection. While past studies have dealt with the use of horns as weapons, they have not examined female choice based on horn size. Male fungus beetles, Bolitotherus cornutus, have horns and perform elaborate courtships. In this study, females demonstrated no preference among males having different horn lengths and equal body sizes. Neither did they prefer males with equal horns and different bodies. These observations suggest that females do not base their choice of mate on horn size, suggesting that horns may have evolved through intrasexual rather than intersexual processes.