We conducted Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) analysis by hybridizing two noctuid moth species, Heliothis virescens (Hv) and Heliothis subflexa (Hs), and backcrossing the F1 females to males of both parental species.
Both are drab and vaguely larklike; males of both species are much larger than females.
Males of both species emit fast trills while courting, but X. laevis produces longer, lower-pitched trills than X. petersii.
After 6 months, males of both species always showed higher survival (∼80%) when compared to females (∼20%).
Males of both species reduced acoustic courtship, but only painted gobies also showed less visual courtship in the noise treatment compared to the control.
Males of both species advertise vocally during the rut, spray their bodies with urine in a similar manner, dig similar rutting pits, and court females in a similar fashion.
Males of both species frequently play with their infants and protect them from threats, but they still have a lesser role than females in rearing their offspring.
Whereas males (of both subspecies) are distinctive in having a black head and dark wings, contrasting with the otherwise pale plumage, females are dusky green over the crown and nape, with largely dull yellow underparts, and mainly green upperparts.
Males of both species were much more repeatable than females in larder-hoarding propensity, and this was due to greater variation in mean values between males as well as greater variation between trials for individual females.
When they compared the two treatment groups, they found that males of arranged pairs attended their nest significantly less than did males in chosen pairs during the days when the eggs were hatching -- but males of both treatment groups showed comparable nest attendance during the entire offspring rearing period.
Males of both species attain a length of approximately 6.5 metres (21 feet) and a weight of about 3,530 kg (7,780 pounds) and are much larger than the females, which grow to 3.5 metres and weigh 900 kg.
