Adaptative Variation in a Neotropical Dung Beetle: Females and Gamma Males Present Tunneler Morphology, While Beta and Alpha Males Present Wing Morphology for Velocity.

In evolutionary terms, plastic traits can covary, providing adaptive value by compensating for certain characteristic costs or enhancing fitness. This combination of traits is expected in species with significant intrapopulation ecological variation, like insects. In the Phanaeini tribe, males and females have distinct nesting behaviors, and the alpha, beta, and gamma morphotypes of trimorphic males display different reproductive strategies.