Souza, Andre Rodrigues deSimoes, Talitta GuimaraesRantala, Markus J.Santos, Eduardo Fernando [UNESP]Lino-Netto, JoseNascimento, Fabio Santos do2018-11-262018-11-262018-08-01Journal Of Insect Physiology. Oxford: Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd, v. 109, p. 163-168, 2018.0022-1910http://hdl.handle.net/11449/164569It has been recently suggested that female mate choice, based on sexually selected ornaments, is an important component of social wasps' reproductive biology. The correlates of male ornaments that could be of a female's interest, however, remain to be investigated. Males of the Neotropical paper wasp Polistes simillimus have sexually dimorphic melanin-based black spots on their faces. In this species, male spots work like sexual ornaments, as it has been experimentally demonstrated that females prefer sexual partners with a higher proportion of black pigment on their faces. We have shown that, under laboratory conditions, male sexual ornamentation positively predicts the strength of the melanization immune response and longevity. Therefore, in P. simillimus, melanin-based facial patterns (ornaments) seem to be honest indicators of male quality.163-168engHymenopteraImmunitySexual selectionFemale choiceOrnamentsSexually selected signalsArtigo10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.06.002WOS:000442704600019Acesso abertoWOS000442704600019.pdf