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Interspecific sex attraction in Earias vittella and Earias insulana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

Ashok J. Tamhankar
Ashok J. Tamhankar
Affiliation:
Nuclear Agriculture Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Bombay - 400 085, India
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Abstract

Interspecific attraction between Earias vittella and Earias insulana was studied by conducting sex pheromone bioassays and by making visual observations on the behaviour of individual interspecific pairs. Olfactometer bioassays using virgin “calling” females revealed interspecific attraction amongst about 10% males. In bioassays using female sex pheromone, E. insulana did not attract any E. vittella males, but the E. vittella female sex pheromone attracted 8.7% interspecific males. Electroantennogram recordings revealed detection of interspecific sex pheromones by antennae of males of both the species. When kept at a close range and allowed free access to interspecific females, more than 50% of E. insulana males courted and copulated with E. vittella females, but incidence of such courting and copulation was negligible in the reciprocal cross. In both the cases, there was no interspecific insemination. These studies suggested that dissimilarities in: (a) sex pheromone components or their ratio, (b) courtship behaviour and (c) sperm transfer mechanism play a role in the reproductive isolation of these two species.

Résumé

L'attirance interspécifique entre les deux sexes d'Earias vittella et d'Earias insulana a été étudiée en faisant des bio-essais sur des phéromones sexuelles et en observant le comportement des paires individuelles de croisements interspécifiques. Des bio-essais avec un olfactometre, utilisant des femelles vièrges “attirantes”, a montré une attirance interspécifique parmi a pen près 10% de maies. Dans des tels bio-essais, lorsque la femelle phéromone sexuelle était utilisée, la phéromone sexuelle d'E. insulana n'a attiré aucun mâle d'E. vittella mais la femelle phéromone sexuelle d'E. vittella a attiré 8.7% de mâles interspécifiques. Des enregistrements d'un electroantennogramme ont montré une perception des phéromones sexuelles interspécifiques par les antennes des mâles des deux espèces. Lorsque les mâles d'E. insulana avaient un accès libre aux femelles interspécifiques, plus de 50% entre aux ont “courtiée” les femelles d'E. vittella et l'accouplement a eu lieu. Mais un tel comportement était négligiable dans l'autre croisement interspécifiques. Dans tous les deux cas, il n'y avait aucune insémination interspécifique. Ces études proposent un rôle joué dans l'isolement reproductif des ces deux espèces, par les dissimilarités dans: (a) les composants de ta phéromone sexuelle ou leur rapport, (b) le comportement de “cour” et (c) le mechanisme du transfert du sperme.

Keywords

Earias vittellaEarias insulanainterspecific communicationinterspecific matingsex pheromonecourtshipelectroantennogram recordingsreproductive isolationLepidopteraNoctuidae
Type
Research Articles
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , February 1992 , pp. 35 - 39
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1992

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