Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2004) 6, 241-247

Mirian Fernandes Furtado Michereff, Evaldo Ferreira Vilela, Miguel Michereff Filho, Daniela M.S. Nery and José T. Thièbaut (2004)
Effects of delayed mating and male mating history on the reproductive potential of Leucoptera coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)
Agricultural and Forest Entomology 6 (3), 241-247
Abstract: 1. Despite the importance of Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville) in coffee production worldwide, there is a lack of information on its reproduction. This knowledge will help in mass rearing, and support the development of behavioural control techniques for this insect. The present study determined the effects of delayed mating and previous matings of male L. coffeella on fecundity, egg viability and frequency of female remating.
2. The highest levels of fecundity and egg viability were obtained from matings of 1-3-day-old females. When females mated at 5 days of age, there were reductions of 40% in oviposition and of 43% in egg viability.
3. Females mated with 2-day-old virgin males were more fecund than those mated with older males; egg viability was also low (18%) from females mated with older males.
4. Virgin females that mated with virgin males laid a greater number of eggs than those mated with previously copulated males. Egg viability decreased with the increase in the number of previous male matings.
5. Five-day-old females remated in greater proportion than 2-3-day-old females. Females that copulated with males that had previously mated three times had higher rates of remating than those that copulated with virgin males.
6. The results obtained indicate that 1-3 days after emergence is the optimum age for mating. The implications of these findings for the control of L. coffeella by synthetic sex pheromone are discussed.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Miguel Michereff Filho

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Perileucoptera coffeella	Coffee (Coffea)