The relationship among morphological traits, sexual behavior and male mating success in the slave-making ant, Polyergus rufescens

The study of social insect mating biology is principally focused on reproductive allocation and female aspects of mating systems. Little attention has been paid to the relationship between morphological traits and male mating success. Our research aimed to study this relationship in the ant Polyergus rufescens. In order to analyze morphological traits that could be relevant for successful males, both field sampling and a laboratory experiment were set. Several traits relating to the male head, thorax and abdomen were measured and successively treated by multivariate analysis. Moreover, morphometric data was integrated with behavioral observations. Our results showed that different morphological traits of males are associated with a different mating success. Finally, the functional and evolutionary meaning of our findings has been discussed in light of the behavioral observations recorded.