SEXUAL DIMORPHISM AND TAIL-LENGTH IN WIDOWBIRDS AND BISHOPBIRDS (PLOCEIDAE, EUPLECTES SPP) - A REASSESSMENT

No evidence for sexual selection in the evolution of tail-length or wi ng-length in widowbirds and bishopbirds (genus Euplectes) was found wh en the methods used by previous authors were applied to a larger set o f data, Nuptial tail-length dimorphism scaled with body size dimorphis m except in Euplectes progne, and interpopulation variation in tail-le ngth could be explained by genetic drift alone. Wing-length appears to be under stabilizing selection and scales allometrically with body si ze, with no relation to tail-length unless E. progne is included in th e analysis.