Effects of mating and accessory gland injections on olfactory-mediated behavior in the female mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata

Abstract

The female Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, exhibits a preferential switch in certain olfactory-mediated behaviors as a result of mating. Unmated, laboratory-reared, virgin females chose the odor of male-produced pheromone over host fruit odor (guava) in a dual-choice flight tunnel bioassay. Females continued to preferentially respond to the male pheromone for several weeks if not allowed to mate. Mated females chose the host fruit odor over the male-produced pheromone and deposited significantly greater amounts of fertile eggs if given the opportunity. Virgin females injected with accessory gland fluid (AGF) from sexually mature males will “switch” their response from choosing the pheromone odor to choosing host fruit odor in the flight tunnel bioassay and exhibit egg-laying behavior typical of mated females. Significant differences in the number of female landings, time on the source (sphere) and number of eggs laid occurred when females were injected with AGF levels of 0.2 male equivalents or greater. Thus AGFs associated with sexually mature males contain factors that appear to influence olfactory-mediated flight behavior.