We tracked the development of 18 sepsid species from egg to adult to determine larval feeding and pupal metamorphosis times of both sexes. Here, we quantified the size and complexity of three morphologically elaborate sexually dimorphic male ornaments that starkly differ across sepsid fly species (Diptera: Sepsidae): (i) male forelegs range from being unmodified, like in most females, to being adorned with spines and large cuticular protrusions (ii) the fourth abdominal sternites are either unmodified or are converted into complex de novo appendages and (iii) male genital claspers range from small and simple to large and complex (e.g. However, little is known about their developmental costs, and even less about costs associated with structural complexity. Male sexual ornaments often evolve rapidly and are thought to be costly, thus contributing to sexual size dimorphism.
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