Looks or personality - what drives damselfly male mating success in the wild?

In this study, we assessed Calopteryx splendens male mating success in a natural population at the central core of their distribution, representing an optimal environment. We examined two behavioral axes (a) courtship and (b) boldness-aggression and measured wing patch area and body size as important traits in damselfly sexual selection. Only courtship consistency positively influenced mating success. Among morphological traits, smaller wing patch size was associated with greater male mating success, while thorax size outperformed personality or plasticity in boldness and activity as a predictor of mating success.

本研究以分布区核心区域的自然种群为研究对象——该区域为丽色蟌（Calopteryx splendens）的最优生境，评估了雄性丽色蟌的交配成功率。我们考察了两类行为维度：(a) 求偶行为，(b) 大胆-攻击性，并测量了翅斑面积与体型这两个蟌类性选择中的关键性状。仅求偶行为的一致性对交配成功率存在正向影响。在形态性状中，翅斑面积更小的雄性个体交配成功率更高；而胸部大小作为交配成功率的预测因子，其表现优于行为个性以及大胆性与活动度的可塑性。