Testing for reproductive isolation among sympatrically diverging lineages is a key prerequisite for understanding speciation processes. Recent genome-wide studies of the wing-dimorphic New Zealand stonefly Zelandoperla fenestrata have revealed evidence for ecological speciation among sympatric ecotype pairs, but the basis for their apparent reproductive isolation remains unclear. We conduct paired mating tests among co-distributed Z. fenestrata ecotypes from southern South Island to test for prezygotic barriers contributing to their reproductive isolation and divergence. Experimental data reveal assortative mating among ecotypes, with strong differentiation in the duration of matings between matched-ecotype pairs relative to non-matched pairs. These findings add weight to the hypothesis that assortative mating can be a key mechanism facilitating rapid ecological speciation of sympatric ecotypes. Our study also represents the first documentation of mating behaviours in the Southern Hemisphere stonefly suborder Antarctoperlaria.

中文翻译：

---

分类交配是否有助于翼二形石蝇 Zelandoperla fenestrata（鳞翅目：Gripopterygidae）同域生态型之间的生殖隔离？

在同域不同谱系之间进行生殖隔离测试是了解物种形成过程的关键先决条件。最近对翅膀双态新西兰石蝇 Zelandoperla fenestrata的全基因组研究揭示了同域生态型对之间生态物种形成的证据，但它们明显的生殖隔离的基础仍不清楚。我们在共同分布的Z. fenestrata 中进行配对交配测试南岛南部的生态型，以测试导致其生殖隔离和分化的合子前障碍。实验数据揭示了生态型之间的分类交配，相对于非匹配对，匹配生态型对之间的交配持续时间存在很大差异。这些发现为这样的假设增加了分量，即分类交配可能是促进同域生态型快速生态物种形成的关键机制。我们的研究还首次记录了南半球石蝇亚目 Antarctoperlaria 的交配行为。