Authors: Lauryn Dupaix
Mentors: Riley Nelson
Insitution: Brigham Young University
Golger’s rule is an ecogeographic rule stating that animals in warm and humid climates are heavily pigmented, whereas animals in colder and drier climates are lightly pigmented. By using previously collected specimens of Proctacanthus sp. from across the U.S., we explore how this rule applies to several species of robber flies over time and geographic space. The average color of thorax was analyzed using a spectrophotometer which were used in correlation tests with climate measurements from where the specimen was collected. We found that this ecogeographic rule was not consistent in all four of the species of robber flies that were analyzed. Therefore, other studies of the applicability of ecogeographic rules are being assessed in this genus. This research helps define morphological variation in a widespread species and open avenues for more morphological analysis of insects in a changing climate.