The relationship between trait and body size, i.e., the scaling relationship or static allometry, is an essential concept for investigating trait size. However, usage of an inappropriate body size indicator can lead to misinterpretation of morphology. In this study, we examined several possible body size indicators in two closely related stag beetle species, Dorcus rectus and Dorcus amamianus. We raised animals in captivity and used pupal weight as a measure of true, or overall body size, and then evaluated six adult morphological traits to test whether these traits could be reliably used as body size indicators in static scaling relationship comparisons. We analyzed two comparisons, between sexes in same species and between species in same sex. We showed that the most appropriate body size indicators differ depending on the comparisons. Our results indicated that the scaling relationship of focal traits could be over- or under-estimated depending on which body size indicators are used.

中文翻译：

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体型指标的评估，用于两个属 Dorcus （鞘翅目，Lucanidae）的姐妹物种的形态学分析。

性状与体型之间的关系，即比例关系或静态异速生长，是研究性状大小的基本概念。然而，使用不合适的体型指标会导致对形态学的误解。在这项研究中，我们检查了两种密切相关的锹虫物种 Dorcus rectus 和 Dorcus amamianus 的几种可能的体型指标。我们在圈养中饲养动物并使用蛹的重量作为真实或整体体型的衡量标准，然后评估六种成年形态特征，以测试这些特征是否可以可靠地用作静态比例关系比较中的体型指标。我们分析了两个比较，同一物种的性别之间和同一性别的物种之间。我们表明，最合适的体型指标因比较而异。