Courtship Behavior in Choristoneura rosaceana and Pandemis pyrusana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae (original) (raw)
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Journal of Chemical Ecology, 2012
Mating disruption is a valuable tool for the management of pest lepidopteran species in many agricultural crops. Many studies have addressed the effect of female pheromone on the ability of males to find calling females but, so far, fewer have addressed the effect of pheromone on the mating behavior of females. We hypothesized that mating of female moth species may be adversely affected following sex pheromone auto-exposure, due to abnormal behavioral activity and/or antennal sensitivity. Our results indicate that, for Grapholita molesta and Pandemis pyrusana females, copulation, but not calling, was reduced following pre-exposure to sex pheromone. In contrast, for Cydia pomonella and Choristoneura rosaceana, sex pheromone pre-exposure did not affect either calling or copulation propensity. Adaptation of female moth antennae to their own sex pheromone, following sex pheromone auto-exposure, as measured by electroantennograms, occurred in a species for which identical exposure reduced mating success (G. molesta) and in a species for which such exposure did not affect mating success (C. rosaceana). These results suggest that pre-exposure of female moths of certain species to sex pheromone may further contribute to the success of pheromone-based mating disruption. Therefore, we conclude that, in some species, mating disruption may include a secondary mechanism that affects the mating behavior of female moths, in addition to that of males.
Environmental Entomology, 2002
A case study of a pheromone-based attract-and-kill management strategy for codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), was conducted to examine key insect behavioral factors mitigating the possible effectiveness of this strategy. Last Call CM is a newly registered attracticide product that combines the primary component of codling moth sex pheromone with the insecticide permethrin. Studies of competition between pheromone point sources within caged trees showed individual attracticide droplets were signiÞcantly more attractive to male moths than calling females. In commercial orchard blocks, marked male moths were recaptured after visiting attracticide droplets applied at rates of 50, 100, and 200 droplets/ha, although no marked moths were recaptured in plots with 500 droplets/ha. This experiment also revealed no signiÞcant differences among 0, 50, 100, and 200 droplets/ha in suppressing total catch in female-baited traps, nor were total numbers of females attracting at least one male reduced signiÞcantly. In plots with 500 droplets/ha applied, male moth catch was suppressed signiÞcantly compared with catches in untreated control plots, and the number of females attracting at least one male was reduced signiÞcantly as well. Experiments investigating sublethal physiological effects of attracticide exposure upon mating competency of male codling moths demonstrated male leg autotomy at 1, 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure. Male codling moth at 1, 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure placed near calling virgin females exhibited signiÞcant behavioral differences from sham-treated males in courtship and mating. These results clarify some of the possible mechanisms, and strengths and weaknesses of this attract-and-kill management strategy for codling moth.
Journal of Economic Entomology, 2005
The reluctance of Israeli vine growers to adopt the mating disruption technique to control the moth Lobesia botrana Den. & Schiff. has been attributed to the high cost of this method compared with that of traditional insecticide control. In this study, we tested the possibility of reducing the cost, Þrst by testing different pheromone formulations (and thus open the market for competition) and second by reducing the pheromone concentration used in vineyards. Comparisons were made between two pheromone formulationsÑShin-Etsu (Tokyo, Japan) at 165 g/ha and Concep (Sutera, Bend, OR) at 150 g/haÑand between two concentrations of Shin-Etsu, 165 and 110 g/ha. Pheromone dispensers were placed at the onset of the second moth generation. Comparison of the numbers of clusters infested with eggs and larvae of L. botrana showed no signiÞcant differences in the performance, either between the two formulations, or between the two tested concentrations. The results suggest that 1) the two formulations are equally effective, and 2) a low pheromone concentration is sufÞcient to maintain good control of small populations of L. botrana. However, when the population is high, pest control efÞcacy is not improved by increasing the pheromone concentration. Therefore, in the interest of reducing the relatively high cost of mating disruption, we emphasize that increasing the pheromone concentration does not provide improved control of high populations of L. botrana. The cost of mating disruption can be diminished by reducing the applied pheromone concentration and by using the least expensive pheromone formulations
Comparative study of courtship in twelve phycitine moths (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Journal of Insect Behavior, 1990
The courtship behavior of 12 phycitine moths (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was studied using frame-by-frame analysis of video recordings. Behavioral transitions during courtship were quantified for selected species and kinematic diagrams of courtship sequences were constructed. Interspecific similarities in courtship behaviors were measured by calculating Euclidean distances between species based on 12 courtship characters and by clustering species according to UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages). The resulting phenogram revealed two major behavioral patterns in courtship: (1) interactive and (2) simple. The former was characterized by a complex sequence in which, typically, a male approached a pheromone-emitting female, engaged in a head-to-head posture with the female, and then brought his abdomen over his head and struck the female on the head and thorax. This action brought male abdominal scent structures into close proximity with the female antennae. The male then attempted copulation from the head-to-head position by a dorsolateral thrust of the abdomen toward the female genitalia. Males of these species possessed scent structures located either on the eighth abdominal segment, or in a costal fold of the forewing, or both. Courtship in the second group was much more prosaic. After locating the female by response to her sex pheromone, the male simply attempted copulation by lateral abdominal thrusts under the female wing, without behavioral embellishments. Males of species exhibiting simple courtship had either no scent structures or structures that appeared vestigial. The grouping of species based on courtship characters was poorly correlated with taxonomic relationships, suggesting that the selective pressures governing the evolution and maintenance of courtship and male pheromones were distinct from those involved in the evolution of other morphological char
Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2006
and behavioral responses of female oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), were studied using the synthetic major component, (Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate, and partial three-component blend, (Z)-8-dodecenyl-acetate: (E)-8-dodecenyl-acetate:(Z)-8-dodecenol (in a 93:6:1 ratio), of the sex pheromone. EAGs elicited by both the single and three-component pheromone were signiÞcantly greater compared with hexane solvent controls. In 1-liter plastic chambers with constant throughput of air (50 ml/min) over rubber septa loaded with 0.01 or 0.1 mg of the three-component pheromone blend, onset of female calling was advanced by Ϸ2 h compared with solvent controls. However, the total number of females calling at peak time and the time of calling termination did not differ between pheromone-exposed and control moths. Oviposition rates of pheromone-exposed and clean air-exposed mated female moths did not differ in similar 1-liter ßow-through chambers lined with wax paper over 24-h intervals. In a separate experiment, male and female oriental fruit moth, caged in perforated 1-liter containers allowing air ventilation, were placed for 1-wk intervals in replicated glasshouses that were either treated with Isomate dispensers hung 0.5 m from chambers or left untreated. Oviposition rates between Isomate dispenser-exposed and control moths were similar. Female sensitivity to sex pheromone, termed "autodetection," has been observed previously and is thought to function either as a mechanism to 1) advance female calling periodicity under high population densities to increase the probability of attracting males, 2) induce dispersal under high population densities to reduce competition for males or food resources, or 3) aggregate females to increase local probability of mating success. Autodetection also may affect the efÞcacy of mating disruption for oriental fruit moth depending on whether pheromone exposure affects the diel periodicity of male sexual response.
European Journal of …, 2007
Studies were conducted investigating the responses of female obliquebanded leafrollers, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) and redbanded leafrollers, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), to components of their sex pheromone. Electroantennogram (EAG) recordings revealed significant responses from antennae of female moths of both species to the major pheromone component, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, at dosages ranging from 2 µg-2 mg. However, tested individually, the minor pheromone components of the obliquebanded leafroller, (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate and (Z)-11-tetradecenol, elicited little or no antennal response from conspecific females. This result was consistent for redbanded leafroller females, which showed only weak responses to the minor component (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate at a 2 mg dosage. For both species, species-specific blend ratios of the Z and E isomers of tetradecenyl acetate did not elicit a greater antennal response than the Z isomer alone. Virgin females of each species (2-4 d old) were placed into 1-liter plastic assay chambers with constant throughput of carbon-filtered air passed through 1-liter flasks containing rubber septa loaded with (Z)-and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetates and (Z)-11-tetradecenol for trials with female obliquebanded leafrollers or with (Z)-and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetates and dodecyl acetate for trials with female redbanded leafrollers. Exposure to pheromone-permeated air delayed the onset of calling by 1 h and terminated the calling period 1 h earlier for both species compared with solvent-control exposed females. Furthermore, the total proportion of calling females was reduced by half in chambers receiving constant throughput of pheromone-permeated air compared with solvent controls. Exposure to pheromonepermeated air also significantly reduced egg-laying in both species compared with clean-air controls. Furthermore, application of the major pheromone component, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, at dosages ranging from 2 µg-2 mg to wax-paper ovipositional substrates, deterred oviposition by females of both species. Our data suggest that application of synthetic sex-attractant pheromones for mating disruption of leafroller species may have deleterious effects on female moth behavior, which may contribute to pest control. Field investigations will need to be conducted to test this hypothesis.
Journal of Economic Entomology, 2005
The effect of exposure to both the pheromone and insecticide constituents of an attracticide formulation on subsequent pheromonal response of male oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), was tested in several wind tunnel bioassays. Male response to the attracticide formulation was signiÞcantly reduced in all behavioral categories, including source contact 1 h after sublethal exposure (both by voluntary contact in the wind tunnel and forced application in the laboratory) to the attracticide formulation containing inert ingredients, pheromone, and insecticide. Sublethal exposure to the attracticide formulation in the laboratory (forced application) 24 h before the bioassay resulted in a signiÞcantly lower proportion of males subsequently responding to attracticide droplets in the wind tunnel. However, voluntary contact of male moths with the toxic formulation in the wind tunnel had no effect on subsequent response 24 h later. Exposure of males to different constituents of the attracticide formulation demonstrated that both pheromone and insecticide exerted effects on subsequent male pheromonal response. Exposure to the formulation containing the inert ingredients plus the pheromone (no insecticide) signiÞcantly reduced male behavioral responses to an attracticide droplet in the wind tunnel 1 h but not 24 h after exposure, compared with males treated with inert ingredients alone. Response to attracticide droplets was further reduced by exposure to the entire attracticide formulation containing inert ingredients, pheromone and insecticide at both 1 and 24 h postexposure. Similarly, males exposed to inert ingredients plus pheromone were less likely to orient to female-produced plumes 1 h but not 24 h after exposure than males treated with inert ingredients alone. Response to female-produced plumes was further reduced at 1 h but not at 24 h after exposure to the entire attracticide formulation. Mating success of males was signiÞcantly reduced by exposure to the entire attracticide formulation but not to the formulation without insecticide when placed with females 1 and 24 h postexposure. These Þndings suggest that sublethal poisoning of males exposed to the attracticide formulation will enhance the effectiveness of this formulation under Þeld conditions.
On the physiological and behavioral mechanisms of pheromone-based mating disruption
Over the past several years my colleagues and I have been exploring ways of achieving moth mating disruption exceeding 95% efficacy even under high densities with limited insecticide inputs. The foundation for this work has been a series of studies examining the mechanisms underlying pheromone-based mating disruption in moth pests of pome fruit, stone fruit, walnuts, and citrus. Collectively, the results support competitive attraction or false-plume-following as an essential component of communicational disruption of moths in the family Tortricidae. Habituation of central nervous system (CNS) response appears to be an important supplementary mechanism for moths having oriented along plumes of high-dosage dispensers. Four main lines of evidence have led to these conclusions. Pheromone-based disruption of moths is density-dependent. Under high population densities, disruption increases as a function of increasing density of pheromone release sites. Effective mating disruption using high-dosage dispensers occurs in the field despite overall atmospheric concentrations not reaching levels high enough to desensitize moths by adaptation or habituation without close range (within cm) exposure to high dosage dispensers. Males are attracted to high-dosage dispensers in the field and such encounters desensitize the CNS but do not affect sensitivity of the peripheral nervous system. If competitive attraction followed by CNS habituation are the combined mechanisms achieving mating disruption, the following practical implications should be considered for developing high performance approaches and formulations: 1) distribution of dispensers should be uniform rather than clumped, 2) dispenser density should be high, and 3) release rate from synthetic dispensers should be within a physiologically attractive range but also sufficiently high to habituate male moth response following orientation.
The pheromone biology of the jasmine moth Palpita unionalis was studied under Lab- oratory conditions. Female began calling during the second day following emergence. Calling activity and pheromone production is periodic and synchronous. Maximal calling and pheromone production was obtained the fourth day. The peak of the female calling occurred during the dark phase, six hours after lights off, of a 14:10 (Light: Dark) regime. Male response to each one of the two synthetic pheromone components ((E)11-16:Ac), ((E)11-16:Ald) and their blend was tested in a wind tunnel at different dosages. The (E)11-16:Ald stimulates more males to take flight, but the vast majority of them did not approach the pheromone source. With the (E)11-16:Ac fewer males took flight, but most of them flew close to the pheromone source and some landed on the source expanding their hair pencils. A two component blend at the ratio of 7:3 ((E)-11-16:Ac:(E)11-16:Ald) was the one that evoked the full behavioural repe...
European Journal of Entomology, 2007
Studies were conducted investigating the responses of female obliquebanded leafrollers, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) and redbanded leafrollers, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), to components of their sex pheromone. Electroantennogram (EAG) recordings revealed significant responses from antennae of female moths of both species to the major pheromone component, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, at dosages ranging from 2 µg-2 mg. However, tested individually, the minor pheromone components of the obliquebanded leafroller, (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate and (Z)-11-tetradecenol, elicited little or no antennal response from conspecific females. This result was consistent for redbanded leafroller females, which showed only weak responses to the minor component (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate at a 2 mg dosage. For both species, species-specific blend ratios of the Z and E isomers of tetradecenyl acetate did not elicit a greater antennal response than the Z isomer alone. Virgin females of each species (2-4 d old) were placed into 1-liter plastic assay chambers with constant throughput of carbon-filtered air passed through 1-liter flasks containing rubber septa loaded with (Z)-and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetates and (Z)-11-tetradecenol for trials with female obliquebanded leafrollers or with (Z)-and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetates and dodecyl acetate for trials with female redbanded leafrollers. Exposure to pheromone-permeated air delayed the onset of calling by 1 h and terminated the calling period 1 h earlier for both species compared with solvent-control exposed females. Furthermore, the total proportion of calling females was reduced by half in chambers receiving constant throughput of pheromone-permeated air compared with solvent controls. Exposure to pheromonepermeated air also significantly reduced egg-laying in both species compared with clean-air controls. Furthermore, application of the major pheromone component, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, at dosages ranging from 2 µg-2 mg to wax-paper ovipositional substrates, deterred oviposition by females of both species. Our data suggest that application of synthetic sex-attractant pheromones for mating disruption of leafroller species may have deleterious effects on female moth behavior, which may contribute to pest control. Field investigations will need to be conducted to test this hypothesis.