Exposure to male pheromones enhances Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae) female response to male calling song
Abstract
Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) females are attracted to traps baited with male pheromone and/or broadcast calling song, but a high variability in female responsiveness has hindered attempts to use such attractants in practical trapping systems. Prior experience is one factor that may contribute to variability in female responses. To investigate this possibility, female responses to male calling song were compared after 38-40-h prior exposure to different combinations of live males, live females, synthetic pheromone components, and broadcast song. The broadcast song, obtained from a sexually successful male, contained a series of wing-fanning pulse trains averaging 0.31-s in duration, separated by 0.36-s quiet intervals. Within the pulse trains, the frequency rose quickly from ~125 to 148 Hz and then slowly declined to ~120 Hz. The proportions of females responding to the broadcast calling song were greatest when females were first exposed to live males or pheromone components. These proportions significantly exceeded 0% difference between the proportions under silent and broadcasting speakers. The proportion of females that responded after prior exposure to broadcast song alone was significantly higher than the proportion that responded after no prior exposure to sexual stimuli, but it did not significantly exceed 0%.Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.