Sexual selection and organs of sense: Darwin's neglected insight

Abstract

Studies of sexual selection that occurs prior to mating have focussed on either the role of armaments in intra-sexual selection, or extravagant signals for inter-sexual selection. However, Darwin suggested that sexual selection may also act on 'organs of sense', an idea that seems to have been largely overlooked. Here, we refine this idea in the context of the release of sex pheromones by female insects: females that lower the release of sex pheromones may benefit by mating with high-quality males, if their signalling investment results in sexual selection favouring males with larger or more sensitive antennae that are costly to develop and maintain.