ABOVE: Thoracic horns can vary widely between scarab beetle species
YONGGANG HU
Male scarab beetles have horns on the part of their thorax, or midsection, closest to their head, which they use to compete with other males over mates. Genes that code for the development of these horns evolved from genes that are used in the formation of insect wings, according to a study published November 21 in Science.
A team of researchers led by developmental biologist Armin Moczek of Indiana University used RNA interference to turn off genes related to wing development in the larvae of three species of dung beetles. They found that inactivating these genes made the insects grow smaller wings or none at all, and it also affected their horns in the same way. Additionally, when the team disabled a gene called Sex combs reduced that is necessary for horn development, the beetles grew small wings in ...
