"Surprising Discovery: Unraveling the Three Distinct Males of a Cryptic Arachnid"

Scientists have discovered a rare species of arachnid in New Zealand called harvestmen, or daddy longlegs, that exhibits trimorphism, with three distinct types of males. The alpha male has strong pincer-like jaws, the beta male has longer and thinner pincers, and the gamma male is much smaller and weaponless. The study suggests that if a male harvestman loses a leg in its youth, it is more likely to grow up smaller and weaker. This may explain why the smaller gamma males adopt a different reproductive strategy, sneaking around to find undefended females. The findings challenge Charles Darwin's theory of sexual selection and highlight the importance of understanding the evolution of mating systems in different animal taxa.