Ecological Entomology (2018) 43, 543-546
Marc Rhainds (2018)
Natural mating disruption in a protogynous bagworm (Lepidoptera: Psychidae)
Ecological Entomology 43 (4), 543-546
Abstract: 1. The occurrence of natural mating disruption is investigated in the bagworm Metisa plana Walker (Lepidoptera: Psychidae). Neotenic females reproduce within a self-constructed bag made of silk and plant material, and attract males for copulation by discharging pheromone-impregnated setae into the lower section of their bag (early life pulsed release). Because pheromone release is, in part, out of the female's control, passive pheromone sources emanating from bags of post-reproductive (dead) females may compete with live pheromone-calling females.
2. Data collected in a plantation of oil palm during five consecutive generations of bagworms indicate that mating probabilities decline with increasing number of conspecific females per palm, reminiscent of natural mating disruption due to false trail following. Low mating success of late-emerging females further suggests that protogyny evolved to reduce late-season mating disruption due to incremental accumulation of passive sources of pheromone over time.
3. Natural mating disruption may be linked with life-history syndromes of female flightlessness in forest habitats: sedentary reproduction of highly fecund females on perennial hosts, combined with restricted dispersal of larval progeny that remain on their maternal host plant and travel short distances while ballooning, may lead to rapid build-up of local populations beyond levels where mating interference among females is possible.
(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): Marc Rhainds
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metisa plana | Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) |
