DOES SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHISM VARY WITH MONTH WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF RAINY DAYS IN FOREST MILLIPEDES CENTROBOLUS COOK, 1897

Author Name: Mark Cooper

Volume/Issue: 02/09

Country: South Africa

DOI NO.: 08.2020-25662434 DOI Link: https://www.doi-ds.org/doilink/03.2022-63261534/UIJIR

Affiliation:

School of Animal, Plant & Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this study were to determine what happened when Bergmann’s Rule met Rensch’s Rule if Sexual Size Dimorphism (SSD) and body size changed with an eco-geographical factor. The month with the highest number of rainy days was correlated with body size and SSD in the forest millipede genus Centrobolus. There was a significant positive correlation between SSD and the month with the highest number of rainy days (r=0.37, Z score=1.71, n=22, p=0.04). Eco-geographical variance in the polygynandrous reproductive systems occurs with larger females and higher SSD occurring in the month with the highest number of rainy days.

Key words: Dimorphic; eco-geography; gradient; precipitation; size; species.