Environmental Entomology (1995) 24, 105-109

D.W. Spurgeon, P.D. Lingren, J.R. Raulston and T.N. Shaver (1995)
Age-specific mating activities of Mexican rice borers (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Environmental Entomology 24 (1), 105-109
Abstract: Occurrence, timing within the scotophase, and duration of mating, as well as timing within the scotophase of calling by females, were observed in the laboratory for pairs of all age combinations of 0- to 5-d-old male and female Eoreuma loftini (Dyar). Also, occurrence of mating of 1- to 5-d-old E. loftini females was examined on mating stations in commercial sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Percentage of mating moths in the laboratory ranged from 67.3 (4 d old) to 78.7% (1 d old) for females and from 56 (0 d old) to 81.3% (5 d old) for males. Occurrence of mating generally increased with male age. Mating was least likely to occur when one sex was very old and the other very young. Females called earlier, and both sexes mated earlier as age increased. Duration of mating also was influenced by age of either sex, but these differences were small relative to the mean total duration of mating. Differences in female age seldom resulted in large differences in occurrence of mating on mating stations, but when differences occurred, younger females were more often mated than older females. Changes in temporal patterns of sexual response and receptivity of males and females, respectively, probably caused the observed effects of age on mating occurrence.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Dale W. Spurgeon

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.
	Eoreuma loftini	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)	U.S.A. (mid S)