Geographic variability in the incidence and heritability of wing dimorphism in the striped ground cricket, Allonemobius fasciatus

Abstract

We examined nine Allonemobius fasciatus populations for variation in the incidence and heritability of wing dimorphism. When reared in the laboratory, the incidence of long winged forms varied significantly among populations (from 9 to 74 per cent), and sexes, with females usually producing a larger proportion of long winged individuals than males. The heritability of wing length, averaged across populations, was 0·52 ± 0·14 for males and 0·72 ± 0·15 for females, and did not vary significantly among populations. There was no apparent relationship between either the incidence or the heritability of wing length and the geographic origin of the founding population.