Lawrence’s red millipede Centrobolus lawrencei shows length-based variability and size dimorphism

Abstract

The present research aimed to study the sexual size dimorphism of Centrobolus lawrencei previously thought to be monomorphic. Diplopoda illustrated reversed sexual size dimorphism (SSD) where one sex was larger than the other. The SSD of C. lawrencei based on variability in length was shown from data taken in South Africa. Sexual dimorphism was identified through differences in length (t-value=-3.11362; p-value=0.006223; n=8, 3) but not width (t-value=0.64096; p-value=0.264412; n=8, 3). This finding together with the lower coefficients of variation in males indicate directional sexual selection on length.