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Title:
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Mating periodicity and post-mating refractory period in the zoophytophagous plant bug Macrolophus caliginosus (Heteroptera: Miridae)
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Author:
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Gemeno Marín, César; Alomar, Òscar; Riudavets, Jordi; Castañé Fernández, Cristina
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Notes:
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The zoophytophagous mirid bug Macrolophus caliginosus is an important biocontrol agent of whiteflies in the Mediterranean
region. Periods of low productivity in commercial breeding units and unsuccessful establishment in greenhouses prompted this
study of mating behaviour. Here we describe copulation behaviour, the diel mating periodicity and post-copulatory refractory period.
A natural plant substrate needs to be provided if one wants to observe the copulatory behaviour of M. caliginosus in the laboratory.
There was no apparent directional orientation in the approach of the two sexes, instead males pursued females after “accidentally”
contacting them. Males mounted females from above, very rapidly, and without any obvious courtship behaviour, and copulation
duration was very consistent (286.33 ± 4.23 s, mean ± SE). Observations over a 24-h period showed that mating was most frequent
in the 8-h scotophase and first half of the 16-h photophase than in the second half of the photophase. Mated females became strongly
unreceptive to new male mounting attempts, shaking their abdomen and leaving the plant if harassed. To determine the duration of
the post-mating refractory period mating receptivity of females that had mated 1 or 2 weeks earlier was compared with that of virgin
females of similar age. Mated females remained unreceptive even 2 weeks after mating, whereas half of the virgin females of equivalent
age mated. Mated females were more likely to abandon a plant than virgin females when harassed by a male. Most males
remated a few minutes after mating for the first time. M. caliginosus is atypical among mirids in that females apparently mate only
once.
This research was funded by projects RTA03-062 from the Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) and AGL2005-3768 from the Ministry of Science and Education (MEC) of Spain. C. Gemeno was funded by the Ramón y Cajal Program (MEC, Spain). |
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Subject(s):
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-Miridae
-Macrolophus Caliginosus
-Mating behaviour
-Periodicity |
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Rights:
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cc-by (c) Czech Academy of Sciences. Institute of Entomology of the Biology Centre, 2007
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
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Document type:
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article
publishedVersion |
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Published by:
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Czech Academy of Sciences. Institute of Entomology of the Biology Centre
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