Final answer:
Cuticular hydrocarbons serve as honest signals in sexual selection and indicate genetic quality through the good genes hypothesis and handicap principle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cuticular hydrocarbons are a hotbed for sexual selection because they serve as honest signals of an individual's fitness and can be selected for through the good genes hypothesis. These signals may indicate an organism's ability to metabolize efficiently or resist diseases, traits that are appealing to potential mates. Moreover, in line with the handicap principle, they may also be costly signals that only the fittest individuals can afford to maintain, thereby offering an indirect representation of their genetic quality. Sexual selection can drive the evolution of these traits, even if they come at a cost to the individual's survival, because they contribute to reproductive success, which is the primary driver of natural selection.