Abstract
Release of mature sperm from the testes of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, into the seminal ducts occurs in a daily rhythmic pattern. The rhythm of sperm release is initiated in developing pharate adults 3–4 days after spermatogenesis and development of the reproductive tract has been completed. At that time a significant decline occurs in the blood titre of RIA-detectable ecdysteroids. Infusion of 20-hydroxyecdysone into male pupae inhibits the release of sperm from the testis in a dose-dependent and age-dependent fashion. The decline in haemolymph ecdysteroid levels seems essential for the initiation of the rhythmic release of sperm from the testis, but does not appear to play a role in determining the phase of this rhythm.
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