Fluctuating Asymmetry in Insecticide-Resistant and Insecticide-Susceptible Strains of the Maize Weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Insecticide resistance is an evolutionary response of specific insect populations subjected to exposure and consequent selection by an insecticide. As such, this phenomenon is important as a biomonitoring strategy and also has economical importance in the case of insect-pests by compromising their control. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of bilateral traits is a measure of developmental instability also suggested as a monitoring tool for environmental pollution with potential consequences for fitness. Responses to selective agents might have pleiotropic effects influencing development and phenotype, which has yet to be examined for agricultural insecticides and insect-pests. Higher levels of FA are expected in the insecticide-resistant strains, which are usually at a selective disadvantage, relative to susceptible strains, in the absence of the insecticide. Two insecticide-resistant strains and an insecticide-susceptible strain of the maize pest insect Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were subjected to FA measurements in 12 traits of wing veins and tibias of 100 individuals of both sexes of each strain. The insecticide-resistant strains showed lower FA than the susceptible strain, in contrast with the initial expectation. An extended period of insecticide selection probably led to the evolution of fitness-modifier genes improving the performance of the resistant genotypes, reducing their FA levels, and leading to their eventual fixation in the population. In addition, one insecticide-resistant strain and the insecticide-susceptible strain showed significant differences in FA between sexes, with more symmetrical males suggesting possible sexual selection by the females. The observed results have potential consequences for insecticide-resistance evolution and dispersal.