Though the idea is mostly speculation at this stage, Runyon believes that females could be selecting those mates that have the most mis-matched wings.
Erebomyia's mis-matched wings are "indeed unusual and interesting," commented entomologist Richard Mankin with the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Gainesville, Florida. "There is enough difference in the wing area that, at close range, the female could detect a difference in the sound level of the buzzing from the right and left wings," he agreed.
"Some species of symmetrically-winged Caribbean fruit flies produce well-characterized sounds in a similar manner," said Runyon, and evidence exists that females select mates dependent on the intensity of the wing-fanning noises. Furthermore, other known relatives of Erobomyia have long hairs on their wings that are thought to be ornaments for wooing females.
Handicap Theory
But why should females select mates that have the most exaggerated deformity?
One idea, known as the handicap theory and proposed by evolutionary biologists in the 1970s, suggests that those mates with the most inconvenient, large, or gaudy ornaments are often the most attractive to females. This is because those males have faced a greater challenge in life not to be eaten by predators, or perish by some other means, and therefore wear an honest badge of their genetic quality.
The male's brilliant tail plumage in some species of bird of paradise (family Paradisaeidae) is a good example, said Runyon. As it increases in length, the birds cannot fly as well, or escape as easily from predators, but they become more attractive to females.
The sexual display theory is a plausible explanation for the evolution of this Erebomyia's weird mis-matched wings, added Makin. However, with further research, "no one would be surprised" if new theories of how this seemingly harmful character can persist come to light.
Nationalgeographic.com Bug Resources
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Lesson Plan
Use this National Geographic News article in your classroom with the Xpeditions lesson plan: Insects We Love and Hate
