Meeting Abstract

30.6  Friday, Jan. 4  Reproductive interference and interspecific territoriality in rubyspot damselflies (Hetaerina spp.) DRURY, J.P.*; ANDERSON, C.N.; GRETHER, G.F.; Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Oberlin College; Univ. of California, Los Angeles druryj@ucla.edu

Male rubyspot damselflies (Hetaerina spp.) defend territories they use solely for accessing females. In rivers throughout the southern U.S. and Mexico with two or more Hetaerina spp., there is much variation in whether species pairs engage in interspecific territoriality. Previous research shows that agonistic character displacement has likely acted on some species pairs such that male competitor recognition diverges in sympatric populations. New field data and simulations that quantify the cost of sharing a territory with heterospecifics demonstrate that interspecific territoriality occurs in those species pairs that exhibit heterospecific reproductive interference (i.e. when males clasp heterospecific females). This observation suggests that between-species aggressive interactions are the adaptive outcome of selection on males competing for access to conspecific females.