Positive geographic correlation between soldiers’ weapon size and defensive prowess in a eusocial aphid, Ceratovacuna japonica

Abstract Some aphid species produce a soldier caste with enlarged forelegs and horns (weapons). It has been hypothesised that the evolution of morphological specialization by soldiers in social aphids is accelerated by high predation pressure, but this possibility has not been tested. Here, we inves...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mitsuru Hattori, Masato Ono, Takao Itino
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-09-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20389-z