International Journal of Entomology Research

Authors
Mariya A Chursina

Abstract
Intraspecific variation in wing shape of six species of the Dolichopodidae family was analyzed by the method of Procrustes superimposition. Specifically, we examined the patterns of sexual dimorphism, interpopulation variation, variation among individuals, directional asymmetry and fluctuating asymmetry (within-individual variability). The results suggest that sexual dimorphism is the most significant sources of intraspecific variation. Highly significant differences in wing shape were observed between populations of Poecilobothrus regalis, it reflects their adaptations to different environmental conditions. The analysis revealed significant directional asymmetry for wing shape of Poecilobothrus regalis from one of the studied populations; directional asymmetry had a significant allometric component. Four types of pattern of individual variation were discovered. It was shown that individual variation and fluctuating asymmetry have similar patterns. Based on previous studies of wing development, we made conclusions about the developmental processes, which cause different types of intraspecific variation.