Evolution of population level lateralization in Dysdercus andreae L. (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae)

Abstract

The hypothesis that propose the evolution of lateralization and directional symmetry as features of cooperative social species, can be tested with insects models. The main objective of this study was to verify the existence of population level lateralization in Dysdercus andreae L. (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae). This species forms groups of several hundred individuals, indicating some coordination, but it is not strictly a social species. We constructed two behavioral T-mazes to respond to the stated objective, one to evaluate response with neural integration and another to evaluate escape reflex. The results show that there are lateralized population behavior and directional symmetry in Dysdercus andreae. In addition, the escape response and decisions without stress are behaviors that evolve separately in the species; individuals prefer the left to react with neural integration. In the other hand, the insects react to aversive stimuli escaping indistinctly to the right or left. Besides, there is a relationship between the direction of response without stress and the direction of escape. It can be seen, as an indicative that the population level lateralization, developing at the beginning for more complex responses, progressively influences the intuitive escape behavior, leading to the population level lateralization of this behavior.

Keywords

• asymmetry
• animal behavior
• insect
• invertebrates
• laterality
• handedness