William G. Eberhard

Biologist

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Unit 0948

APO AA 34002-0948

weberhar@cariari.ucr.ac.cr

Research Interests

Sexual selection, cryptic female choice, genitalic evolution, behavior and natural history of web-building spiders and of insects.

Current Research Projects

Copulatory courtship and evolutionary innovation in sepsid flies, effects of a wasp larva on the behavior of its spider host, courtship signals in medflies, evolution of animal genitalia, contrasting male-female conflict with selective cooperation of females in sexual contexts.

Recent Publications

Functions of male genitalic surstyli in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 66:427-433 (1st author with F. Pereira) (1994).

Copulatory courtship in the two species of Xyonysius bugs (Hermiptera, Lygaeidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 67:37-45. (2nd author with R. L. Rodriguez) (1994)

Evidence for widespread courtship during copulation in 131 species of insects and spiders, and implications for cryptic female choice. Evol. 48:711-733. (1994)

The functional significance of male cercus morphology in 13 species of tropical earwigs (Dermaptera: Forficulidae, Labiidae, Carcinophoridae, Pygidicranidae). Smithson. Contrib. Zool. 555:1-63. (2nd author with D. Briceño). (1995)

The web and building behavior of Synotaxus ecuadorensis (Araneae, Synotaxidae). J. Arachnol. 23:25-30. (1995)

Sexual selection by cryptic female choice on male seminal products - a new bridge between sexual selection and reproductive physiology. Trends Ecol. Evol. 10:493-496.(1st author with C. Cordero) (1995)

Web construction behavior in Australian Phonognatha and the phylogy of nephiline and tetragnathid spiders (Araneae, Tetragnathidae). Aust. J. Zool 43:313-364.(2nd author with G. Hormiga and J. Coddington) (1995)

The process of intromission in the medfly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera, Tephritidae). Psyche 102:101-122.(first author with F. Pereira) (1995)

Copulation behavior inside and outside the beetle Macrohaltica jamaicensis. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (1st author with S. Kariko). J. Ethol. 14:59-72. (1996)

Female Control: Sexual Selection by Cryptic Female Choice. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, N. J. (1996)

Courtship behavior of male medflies (Ceratitis capitata; Diptera: Tephritidae) in captivity. Fla. Ent. 79:1-15(3rd author with D. Briceño and D. Ramos) (1996)

Sexual behavior and the enlarged hind legs of male Megalopus armatus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 69:1-8. (1st author with M. C. Marin) (1996)

Functional morphology of male genitalic surstyli in the dungflies Achisepsis diversiformis and A. ecalcarata (Diptera: Sepsidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc.69:43-60. (1st author with F. Pereira) (1996)

Sexual selection by cryptic female choice in insects.pp.32-57 In J.C. Choe and B. J. Crespi, eds., Social Competition and Cooperation in Insects and Arachnids. I. Evolution of Mating Systems. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge (1997)

Graverobbing by male Eulaema bees.J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 70:66.(1997)

Courtship, genitalia, and genital mechanics in Physocyclus globosus (Araneae, Pholcidae) Canad. J. Zool (2nd author with B. Huber)(1997)

One size fits all? Relationships between the size and degree of variation in genitalia and other body parts in twenty species of insects and spiders. Evolution 52:415-431. (1st author with 4 others) (1998)

Possible links between embryology, lack of innervation and the evolution of male genitalia in spiders. Bull. Brit. Arachnol. Soc. 11:73-81. (1st author with B. Huber) (1998)

Female roles in sperm competition.pp.91-116 In T. Birkhead and A.Møller (eds). Sperm competition and sexual selection (Academic Press). (1998)

Medfly courtship duration: a sexually selected reaction norm changed by crowding. Ethol. Ecol. Evol. 10: 369-382. (second author with D. Briceño) (1998)

Courtship, copulation, and sperm transfer in Leucauge mariana (Araneae, Tetragnathidae), with implications for higher classification. J. Arachnol. 26:342-368. (first auther with B. A. Huber) (1998)

Functional significance of the capitate supra-fronto-orbital bristles of medflies (Ceratitis capitata) (Diptera: Tephritidae) J. Kans. Ent. Soc.71:164-174. (3rd author with V. Mendez and D. Briceño) (1998)

Reproductive behavior of Glyphidops flavifrons and Nerius plurivittatus (Diptera: Neriidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 71:89-107.(1999)

Mortal mimicry in the fly Plocoscelus sp. (Diptera: Micropezidae). Biotropica.31: (1999)

Copulation and sperm transfer in Archisepsis flies (Diptera: Sepsidae) and the evolution of their intromittent genitalia. Studia Dipt. 5: 217-248.(first author with B. A. Huber) (1998)

Sexual behavior of Acanthocephala declivis guatemalana (Hemiptera, Coreidae) and the allometric scaling of their modified hind legs. Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 91: 863-871. (1998)

Aggressive behavior in medflies (Ceratitis capitata) and its modification by mass rearing (Diptera: Tephritidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 72:17-27. (third author with R. D. Briceño and D. Ramos) (1998)

Importancia de la elección críptica de la hembra para la etología. Etología 6:1-8. (1999)

In press:

Sexual behavior and sexual selection in the medfly, Ceratitis capitata. In Fruit flies (Tephritidae): phylogeny and evolution of behavior. M. Aluja and A. Norrbom (eds) CRC Press, Del Ray, FL

Mating systems of sepsid flies and sexual behavior away from oviposition sites by Sepsis neocynipsea (Diptera: Sepsidae). J. Kans. Entomol. Soc.

Ritual jousting by horned Geraeus sp. weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Barydinae). Psyche (first author with J. Maurcio Garcia-C.)