FUNCTIONAL-MORPHOLOGY OF THE HIND LEGS AS WEAPONS FOR MALE CONTESTS IN LEPTOGLOSSUS-AUSTRALIS (HETEROPTERA, COREIDAE)

Functional morphology of the hind legs as weapons in male contests was analyzed in the leaf-footed plant bog, Leptoglossus australis Fabrici us. Measurement of some metrical tratis of the hind femur and tibia in dicated that the weapon was the hind femur. Sexual dimorphism in the f emoral length and width, and in the number of spines on the lower side of the femur, indicated that these parts play a significant role in m ale contests. It was also suggested that the length front the base to the widest part of the femur had a functional significance for male-ma le combat behaviors of L. australis.