Courtship behavior of phycitid moths. I. Comparison of Plodia interpunctella and Cadra cautella and role of male scent glands

Abstract

1975. Courtship behavior of phycitid moths. I. Comparison of Plodia interpunctella and Cadra cautella and role of male scent glands. Can. J. Zool. 53: 813-826.Courtships of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, and the almond moth, Cadra cautella, were observed in the laboratory in petri dish arenas. The sequence of behavioral responses which alternate between male and female are released by tactile, visual, and pheromonal stimuli arising from both sexes. The courtship sequences are species specific if males approach females from the rear, but are quite similar if males approach from the front facing the females. For both species the most important feature of courtship is the female's acceptance posture (female stationary with abdomen elevated between wings), which releases male copulatory behavior and facilitates copulation.During courtship, male Indian meal moths release a sex pheromone from wing glands located at the base of each forewing. By completely amputating the female's antennae or the male's forewings including glands, it could be shown that the male pheromone induces the female to remain stationary and adopt the acceptance posture. In the absence of male pheromone, the female actively rejects the courting male and does not mate. These observations are supported by quantitative data. A male pheromone could not be demonstrated for male almond moths but it is argued that apheromone is probably involved in the courtship of this species as well. GRANT, G. G., et U. E. BRADY. 1975. Courtship behavior of phycitid moths. I. Comparison of Plodia interpunctella and Cadra cautella and role of male scent glands. Can. J. Zool. 53: 813-826. On a observe en laboratoire le comportement de cour chez la pyrale indienne de la farine, Plodia interpunctella, et chez la pyrale des amandes, Cadra cautella, en utilisant des vases de petri comme terrains de parade. La sequence des comportements qui alternent entre mlle et femelle, est declenchee par des stimuli tactiles et visuels et par des pheromones provenant des deux sexes. Les sequences de comportements de cour sont specifiques B I'espkce si les miless'approchent des femelles de I'arriere mais sont trts semblables si les maes s'approchent des femelles en leur faisant face. Chez les deux esptces, le facteur le plus important demeure la posture de consentement de la femelle (femelle stationnaire, I'abdomen relev6 entre les ailes) qui declenche le comportement de copulation chez le mlle et facilite la copulation.Durant la cour, les pyrales indiennes de la farine mlles libbrent une pheromone sexuelle emanant de glandes alaires sitdes B la base de chaque aile anterieure. L'amputation totale des antennes de lafemelle ou des ailes antkrieures du mlle, y compris les glandes, demontre que c'est effectivement la pheromone du m5le qui incite la femefie demeurerstationnaire et a adopter la Dosture de consentement. En I'absence de her om one mlle, lafemelle reiette activement le mile qui lui fait la cour et ne s'accouple p a s . -~e s donnees quantitatives v<ennent corroborer ...

Evolutionary trends in the male pheromone systems of arctiid moths: evidence from studies of courtship in Phragmatobia fuliginosa and Pyrrharctia isabella (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)

“…However, the. units of behaviour performed in courtship vary widely among and within taxa with species-specificity occurring in some groups, such as the phycitiric pyralids (Grant & Brady, 1975;Grant, Smithwick & Brady, 1975;Krasnoff, 198 1 ) .…”

“…Demonstrating that a male pheromone is actually used in lepidopteran courtship has often been hampered by the lack of an overt female response to the putative pheromone, and cases in which such a response has been documented are still comparatively few (Grant & Brady, 1975;Rutowski, 1977;Baker & Cardt, 1979;Conner el al., 1981;Krasnoff & Vick, 1984). Within the Noctuoidea, the wing-raising of Trichoplusia ni (Hiibner) ('Jacobson et al.…”

“…Baker & Cardt., 1979). Most investigators of moth courtship have focussed on species in which a male displays eversible scent-emitting structures (variously called brush organs, hairpencils, androconia, or coremata) in very close proximity to the female just prior to his making a copulatory attempt (Birch, 1970;Thibout, 1972;Grant & Brady, 1975;Gothilf & Shorey, 1976;Grant, 1976;Colwell et al, 1978;Baker & Cardt, 1979;Ellis & Brimacombe, 1980;Teal, McLaughlin & Tumlinson, 198 1 ;Conner et al, 198 1 ;Krasnoff, 198 1 ;Hendrikse, Van der Laan & Kerkhof, 1984;Hendrikse, 1986;Zagatti & Castel, 1987, see Birch & Hefetz, 1987, for review). The pheromones known or presumed to be released in this context have had a variety of effects attributed to them including inhibition of response to female pheromone in competing males (Hirai, Shorey & Gaston, 1978;Bijpost, Thomas & Kruijt, 1985, but see Fitzpatrick, McNeil & DuMont, 1988, inhibition of female pheromone release (Hendricks & Shavers, 1975), and stimulation of female pheromone release behaviour (Teal & Tumlinson, 1989).…”

Paysandisia archon: Behavior, Ecology, and Communication

“…Alighting at close range after the pair flight appears to represent acceptance of the P. archon male by the female, which has been reported as one of the functions of close-range pheromones for both moths and butterflies (Brower, Brower, and Cranston 1965;Grant and Brady 1975).…”

Copulatory behaviour of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella

“…Copulation is successful, however, often only as the result of a behavioural chain involving many factors and recognitional stimuli (Birch, 1970;Hidaka, 1972;Grant & Brady, 1975). These factors include visual, tactile, and contact-chemical stimuli in addition to olfactory ones.…”