2026/04/08 by Sandra M. Ospina‐Garcés, Tatiana Suarez-Joaqui, Daniel González-Tokman +1 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Mathematics · #Morphological variations and asymmetry #Orthoptera Research and Taxonomy #Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography
paper · doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blag025
openalex publication_date 2026/04/08 · openalex created_date 2026/05/19 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/18
Abstract A combination of wing shape, size, and flight strategy has enabled flying organisms to move within and among habitats, climate conditions, and elevations. We evaluated the elevation effect on wing morphology and two flight performance descriptors in 31 dung beetle species (12 genera) on a mountain in the Mexican Transition Zone (MTZ). We quantified the variation in wing morphology (shape and size) and analysed their relationship with aspect ratio and wing loading. Both wing shape and wing size covary with elevation at different taxonomic levels (genus, species). Highly significant associations were also recovered between wing shape and flight biomechanical descriptors. The lowest diversity and variation of wing shapes and biomechanics were found at high elevations. Two extreme morphologies are presented along the gradient: broad and slightly swept-back wings in the large-sized Neotropical genera Deltochilum, Phanaeus, and Eurysternus (tapered wings) and larger and more elliptical wings in the Nearctic genus Onthophagus. Colonization of the high mountains in the MTZ by Onthophagus may be favoured by its elliptic wings and high aspect ratio, which are suited to these environments. This study contributes to our understanding of the variation in insect wing morphology on a mountain colonized by species with different biogeographic affinities.