Abstract
The long-winged (macropterous) and short-winged (brachypterous) adult males of Pyrrhocoris apterus (L.) from temperate (Czech Republic) and Mediterranean (Israel) populations were analysed for the sexual activity and the functional activity of their accessory glands. The sexual activity of the males reared either under long-day (18L : 6D) or short-day (12L : 12D) conditions was determined by their capability to mate with 5-day-old reproductive females of the brachypterous morph and to fertilize the eggs. The functional activity of accessory glands was characterized by the presence of a specific immuno-marker. Sexual activity of fasting macropterous males from both temperate and Mediterranean populations was almost as high as that observed in the reproductive brachypterous ones. These findings were also confirmed by an immunotest. Contrary to the temperate macropterous males, the feeding arrest in temperate macropterous females was coupled with a non-diapause inhibition of reproduction in spite of long days. A similar kind of difference was observed also in the Mediterranean macropterous bugs reared under short-day conditions. The results showed the sexual difference in reproductive activity of the macropterous morph in P. apterus.
Highlights
The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a convenient experimental model for biological research
Since the wing dimorphism has been discussed with allocation of reproduction and dispersal in flying insects and most results so far are restricted to females of these species (Zera & Denno, 1997), the aim of the present study was to describe the relationship between wing morphs and reproduction in males of non-flying species
It was originally raised against a secretory 80-90 kDa antigen from tubular accessory glands (AG) of the adult mealworm T. molitor (Grimness & Happ, 1986) and its nomenclature, specificity and immunohistochemical application to P. apterus was described by Sauman & Sehnal (1997)
Summary
The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a convenient experimental model for biological research (see review Socha, 1993). Short-winged (brachypterous) and long-winged (macropterous) specimens may be pro duced (Seidenstucker, 1953; Tischler, 1959; Honek, 1976) and two generations develop per year in the Czech Republic in warmer years and places (Socha & Sula, 1992). There is a latitudinal gradient in the wing-form response of P. apterus to photoperiod with the critical daylength 12.5 and 16.5 h of light in the Mediterranean (Israel) and tem perate (Czech Republic) population, respectively (Socha, 2001). The critical daylength for determination of dia pause in this bug was 4-5 h shorter in Mediterranean population than in the temperate one (Socha & Sula, 1996; Socha, unpubl.). Geographical differences in pho toperiodic response regulating wing length and diapause, an occurrence of wing morph-specific types of reproduc tive arrest in females (Socha & Sula, 1996) and higher adipokinetic and locomotory activities in macropters than in brachypters (Kodrik & Socha, 1999; Socha & Kodrik, 1999; Socha & Zemek, 2001) indicate that macropterous morph might play a specific role in the life strategy of this heteropteran, most probably in its dispersal
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