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Sexual attraction, male courtship and female remating in the tomato fruit fly,Neoceratitis cyanescens

Brévault T., Quilici S.. 2008. Journal of Insect Behavior, 21 (5) : p. 366-374.

DOI: 10.1007/s10905-008-9132-5

Sexual attraction in the tomato fruit fly, Neoceratitis cyanescens (Bezzi) (Diptera : Tephritidae) was tested in an olfactometer while major bevioral traits during courtship at a short range were described by video recording. In addition, 30 pairs of flies were monitored for mating activity in individual cages, during a 38-day study following adult emergence. virgin females of N.cyanescens showed a significant attraction when males were placed in the upwind section of the olfactometer. Males adopted a typical calling behavior charaterized by immobility, wings perpendicular to the body axis, swollen abdominal pleura and presence of a small transparent droplet at the tip of the abdomen. In addition, a specific odor was clearly perceptible by the observer. In individual cages, the first mating of N. cyanescens females took place on the second day after emergence. Females showed a high mating propensity, with 73 ± 18% females mated daily. Sexual conflicts due to mating system and applications to pest management strategies are discussed.

Mots-clés : attractif sexuel; tephritidae; phéromone sexuelle; comportement sexuel; neoceratitis cyanescens

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