Character Displacement in Stag Beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae)

I quantitatively analyzed male morphology of two closely related stag beetles species (Odontolabis mouhoti Hope and O. cuvera Parry) in 11 allopatric and two sympatric locations in the Asian tropics and subtropics. Across allopatric locations, body size and genitalia size nearly completely overlapped between O. mouhoti and O. cuvera, and body color was more similar between the two species in allopatric locations. In sympatric locations the differences between the two species in these characters were highly noticeable, genitalia size being most significant. The body color difference between the two species was most striking in sympatric locations. It is probable that the interaction between the two species induced character displacement in sympatry. Character displacement may enable species to maintain themselves as integrated units by minimizing interspecific competition and enhancing reproductive isolation.