Eur. J. Entomol. 105 (5): 939-944, 2008 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2008.120

Latitudinal variation in morphology in two sympatric damselfly species with contrasting range dynamics (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Christopher HASSALL, David J. THOMPSON, Ian F. HARVEY
Biosciences Building, Crown Street, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZB Liverpool, UK; e-mail: c.hassall@liv.ac.uk

Geographic range expansion is one of the best documented macroecological consequences of climate change. A concomitant change in morphology has been demonstrated in some species. The relationship between latitudinal variation in morphology (e.g. Bergmann's rule) and the morphological consequences of microevolutionary pressures at expanding range margins have received little attention in the literature. Here we compare morphology of males of two Palaearctic damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera) species, Coenagrion puella (Linnaeus, 1758) and Pyrrhosoma nymphula (Sulzer, 1776). C. puella has recently expanded its range from the north of England into Scotland. P. nymphula does not exhibit a range margin in the United Kingdom and has established populations in northern Scotland. We demonstrate evidence for spatially correlated variation in body size across the sampling sites between the two species but a deviation in patterns of dispersal-related morphology. P. nymphula exhibited very weak relationships between dispersal-related morphology (wing loading and thorax : abdomen mass ratio) and latitude. However, the more southerly-distributed C. puella exhibited strong relationships between mass investment in dispersal-related morphology and latitude. These trends appear to indicate compensatory growth patterns in cooler environments like those demonstrated for other species. The limits of this compensation for conditions that are close to the limits of a species' tolerance may contribute to the determination of the range margin. Greater variation in morphology towards the range margin has been observed in previous studies in Odonata. As such, the location of the sampling sites relative to the range margin of each species (closer in C. puella than P. nymphula) is highlighted as a potential contributing factor to the variation observed.

Keywords: Dragonfly, Odonata, Coenagrionidae, morphology, range shift, United Kingdom, body size, temperature, voltinism

Received: August 4, 2008; Revised: October 2, 2008; Accepted: October 2, 2008; Published: December 30, 2008  Show citation

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HASSALL, C., THOMPSON, D.J., & HARVEY, I.F. (2008). Latitudinal variation in morphology in two sympatric damselfly species with contrasting range dynamics (Odonata: Coenagrionidae). EJE, 105(5), 939-944. doi: 10.14411/eje.2008.120
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