Immunocompetence, developmental stability and wingspot size in the damselfly Calopteryx splendens L.

Calopteryx splendens males exhibit a remarkable variation in wing pigmentat ion both within and between populations. In this study, we examined whether the wingspots of male C. splendens are related to male quality. We measure d the nylon implant encapsulation rate for 85 males and found that males wi th larger wingspots had a faster encapsulation rate, indicating a better im munocompetence. We also found that the encapsulation rate was positively co rrelated with the density of haemocytes in the haemolymph. Another measurem ent of male quality, fluctuating asymmetry of wingspots, correlated negativ ely with the size of the wingspots. Males with asymmetrical wingspots also had lower encapsulation rates than more symmetrical males. Our results sugg est that the size of wingspot is an indicator of male quality in C. splende ns.