Department of Biology and Chemistry, Fitchburg State College, 160 Pearl Street, Fitchburg, Massachusetts 01420.
Integr Comp Biol. 2004 Jun;44(3):238-41. doi: 10.1093/icb/44.3.238.
The evolution of male courtship signals such as the bioluminescent flashes of fireflies may be shaped, at least in part, by female preference for particular characteristics of the male signal. These female preferences for male courtship signals may arise as a result of the benefits of choosing males with particular traits. One possible benefit of mate choice occurs if females can use male courtship signals as an honest indicator of male nutritional contributions at mating, nuptial gifts. This paper reviews female preference for male flash characteristics in Photinus fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), and the potential for females to use male flash characteristics to predict nuptial gift quality. In Photinus firefly species with single pulse flashes females preferentially respond to flashes of greater intensity and duration. Male Photinus provide a nuptial gift to females at mating in the form of a spermatophore and flash duration serves as a good predictor of spermatophore mass for males collected early in the season. However, Photinus fireflies do not feed as adults, so spermatophore mass decreases with subsequent matings. In response, nutrient-limited females may stop preferentially responding to longer duration flashes, increasing their overall responsiveness later in the mating season as they forage for spermatophores. Therefore, the evolution of male courtship signals in Photinus fireflies is the product not only of female preference for male flash characteristics, but also the costs and benefits of female choice that shape these preferences.
雄性求偶信号（如萤火虫的生物发光闪烁）的进化可能至少部分受到雌性对雄性信号特定特征的偏好的影响。雌性对雄性求偶信号的这种偏好可能是由于选择具有特定特征的雄性的好处而产生的。如果雌性可以将雄性求偶信号用作交配时雄性营养贡献的诚实指标（婚礼物），那么选择配偶就会产生一种可能的好处。本文综述了 Photinus 萤火虫（鞘翅目：萤科）中雌性对雄性闪光特征的偏好，以及雌性利用雄性闪光特征预测婚礼物质量的潜力。在具有单脉冲闪光的 Photinus 萤火虫物种中，雌性优先对强度和持续时间更大的闪光做出反应。雄性 Photinus 在交配时向雌性提供婚礼物——精荚，并且闪光持续时间是预测雄性在季节早期收集的精荚质量的良好指标。然而，Photinus 萤火虫成虫不进食，因此随着随后的交配，精荚质量会下降。作为回应，营养有限的雌性可能会停止优先响应持续时间更长的闪光，随着交配季节的推移，它们会增加整体反应性，因为它们会寻找精荚。因此，Photinus 萤火虫雄性求偶信号的进化不仅是雌性对雄性闪光特征偏好的结果，也是雌性选择影响这些偏好的成本和收益的结果。
