Temperature Reverses Size-Dependent Male Mating Success of a Cerambycid Beetle

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Abstract
The effects of microclimate on intraspecific variation in mating success in insects has previously received little attention. Using this perspective we studied a population of the multiple mating cerambycid beetle Stenurella melanura L. in the field and in the laboratory. Number and size of mature eggs correlated positively with female body size. No difference between males or females of different size was found in terms of mating frequency or partner size. Body size of mating males, but not of non-mating males or females, correlated positively with ambient temperature. Temperature excess in males, measured as the difference between ambient and abdominal temperature, was significantly related to relative air humidity. As a result, microclimatic variables affected mating success of differently sized males, and thus constituted an important component of sexual selection in this population.

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