Mating Frequency of the Papaya Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) With and Without Host Fruit

Abstract

Frequency of mating of female papaya fruit flies, Toxotrypana curvicauda Gerstaecker, was affected by the availability of host fruit for oviposition. Mature females held for 5 days with males in cages in the laboratory without host fruit nearly always mated once. Most mature females held in cages for 5 days with both males and immature papaya fruit mated more than once. Remating by females held with fruit occurred occasionally before oviposition, indicating that an increased propensity to remate may not be due to sperm depletion. Mature males kept for 5 days with females mated up to 10 times (x=5.6+0.6).