Gay beetles see no weevil

Paris - Female citrus beetles engage in lesbian-style coupling in order to make themselves more attractive to short-sighted males…

Paris - Female citrus beetles engage in lesbian-style coupling in order to make themselves more attractive to short-sighted males, the British weekly magazine Nature reports in today's issue.

Israeli and US scientists observing sugarcane rootstalk borer weevils, a beetle that attacks citrus trees, found the two sexes look so similar that males get confused - they often end up mounting another male by mistake.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter