The effect of ectoparasites (Arrenurus) on the mating status of damselflies (Enallagma hageni)

Abstract

The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis states that a female will chose a mate based on physical traits that indicate advantageous gene frequencies. In this study we investigated the effects of parasitism on mating success. Upon the emergence, parasitic water mites colonize on the abdomen of the adult damselfly Enallagma hagenei. We counted the intensities and prevalence of mites over the course of 2004 and 2007 from Sugar Island. In support of previous studies, a correlation between the number of water mites and mating success was found, but only in the 2004 sample. There is a relationship between weight and mating success, which indicates an alternative cue is used by female damselflies for mate choice. The male damselflies revealed a declining fitness over the course of the summer, where there were greater numbers of damselflies present, more mating and higher weights earlier in the mating season.