Abstract
The behavioural sequence of courtship and mating of Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre males and females in laboratorycages is described. The attractant capacity of both sexes was studied by tethering males or females. The courtshipand mating sequence of tethered females was the same as untethered ones, but tethered males were absolutely inactive.Age (1 day versus 2 days) did not affect the mating rate. Differences in calling time onset and first calling agewere found between north-eastern Spanish and Greek populations. The role of hair pencils in courtship flight is discussed,rejecting that they stimulate calling behaviour of females or that they attract females. The influence of adultpopulation density was studied in laboratory and field tests, and was found to have no effect on the mating rate in thecontrols. However, moth density influenced mating rates where mating disruption treatments were applied. Several consequences for investigations into pheromone composition and its use in monitoring and population control are reported in the discussion.
Highlights
The Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre, is a major maize pest around the Received: 01-03-02; Accepted: 09-10-02.Mediterranean Basin, where it can complete two to four generations, depending mostly on the latitude (Anglade, 1972)
In the last few years, the efficacy of synthetic sex pheromone sprays for disrupting the mating of the Mediterranean corn borer has been evaluated in Spain, Greece and France with variable but promising results
The S. nonagrioides population studied here belongs to the latter group
Summary
The Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre, is a major maize pest around the Received: 01-03-02; Accepted: 09-10-02.Mediterranean Basin, where it can complete two to four generations, depending mostly on the latitude (Anglade, 1972). The Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre, is a major maize pest around the Received: 01-03-02; Accepted: 09-10-02. Females insert eggs between the stem and the lower leaf sheaths of maize plants, and soon after hatching the larvae bore quickly into the stem, where they develop until the adult stage. Because of this endophytic behaviour the larvae are well protec-. In the last few years, the efficacy of synthetic sex pheromone sprays for disrupting the mating of the Mediterranean corn borer has been evaluated in Spain, Greece and France with variable but promising results
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