Pheromonal Stimulation Research Articles

Male-pheromone effect on the efficiency of pregnancy in female mice.

Outbred female mice were exposed during 3 oestrous cycles and mated to outbred or C57BL/kw males. Although ovulation number (CL and flushed eggs) was similar in all females, there were significantly fewer (P < 0.01) fertilized eggs and implantations in females exposed and mated to C57BL/kw males. Exposure to outbred males and mating with C57BL/kw males led to some improvement but the best results were obtained with females mated to outbred males. The activity of uterine dehydrogenases on Day 4 of pregnancy was also greatest in females mated to outbred males. It is concluded that the pheromonal stimulation leads to hormone concentration differences which affect implantation.

Courtship Behavior and Evidence for a Sex Pheromone in Diaeretiella rapae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), the Cabbage Aphid Primary Parasitoid

Pheromonal stimulation by the female elicited a distinctive courtship response from the male. The courtship behavior of male (5–65 s) was comprised of straightening of the antennae, rapid movement, opening and fanning of wings; copulation lasted 50–130 s. The female abdomen was the source of pheromonal secretion.

Electrophysiological basis for the behavioural response of male and female Trichoplusia ni to synthetic female pheromone

Electroantennogram (EAG) studies demonstrated that antennae of both male and female Trichoplusia ni have: (1) receptor-neurones sensitive to female pheromone, (2) a low response threshold, (3) an identical mean-percentage EAG curve over a broad concentration range of pheromone, and (4) a similar absolute recovery interval from adaptation to pheromonal stimulation. These factors suggest that antennae of male and female T. ni have homologous and homogeneous acceptor sites for the female pheromone. Pheromonal stimulation of female antennae elicited EAGs with only 25% of the amplitude of those elicited in males.

Observations on Courtship and Mating Behavior of Meteorus pulchricornis,1 a Gypsy Moth Parasitoid2

Virgin females of Meteorus pulchricornis (Wesmael) stimulate males to respond with a courtship behavior similar to many other braconid parasitoids. Apparently both pheromonal stimulation by the female and visual perception by the male are necessary to elicit the courtship response. Courtship lasts 2–4 min, and includes initial rapid movement and excitation of the male, a slow approach, wing vibrations of varying intensities, and repeated touching of the male head to the female abdomen. Mounting follows and copulation lasts 80–120 sec.

A procedure for collecting large numbers of eggs of Lasioderma serricorne (F.)

A review detailing the biology of Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius) including the morphology, development, trophic biology and reproduction of this insect is presented. Adults emerge from the pupal case sexually mature, and females can oviposit within a day of emergence. Eggs hatch within a week, the larvae burrowing down into the food, damaging tobacco by eating small galleries through the host material. Larvae pass through four instars and pupate within a cell made from food and waste material cemented together by midgut secretions. Although found on a wide variety of foodstuffs, the beetle is well adapted to developing on tobacco, with intracellular symbionts forming an integral part of the beetles' physiology. Details of the pheromonal stimulation of mating and both male and female behaviours are outlined, as are the predators and parasitoids of this insect.

Pheromonal stimulation of the sexual activity of males of the sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina (Calliphoridae) by the female

Males of the Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Wied.): Calliphoridae, are sexually stimulated by the presence of conspecific females. A stimulatory effect of the odour of females is demonstrated but a greater effect is seen when the males are able to contact the females. Male flies do not attain their maximal level of responsiveness to the odour of mature females until their 4th day after emergence. Neither is maximal male response to odour from females achieved until the females have reached their 2nd or 3rd day after emergence. The relatively poor stimulation by females of less than 3 days after emergence is reflected in their pattern of acceptance of males for mating. Protein feeding of the male flies causes a heightening of their potential sexuality. Protein fed assay males are more stimulated by the odour of protein fed females than by that of non-protein fed females, and they show no response to odour of protein fed and non-protein fed males. Non-protein fed assay males are equally stimulated by protein fed females, non-protein fed females and protein fed males but not by non-protein fed males. Selective orientation by males toward a protein fed female but not a non-protein fed female in close proximity to them may be largely due to differences in the behavioural traits of those females.

An experimental field study of chemoreception and response in Australorbis glabratus (Say) under rheotactic conditions.

SummaryMeasurement of rheotactic responses of Australorbis glabratus indicated that stream velocities above 35 cm/sec prevent any degree of upstream progression, but that below this flow rate snails show increasing ability for positive rheotactic orientation movement. When chemical attractants were applied, A. glabratus increased its rate of upstream migration. Persistence of increased progression rates after the cessation of chemical stimulation suggests a behavioral pattern similar to that known to exist in insects subjected to pheromonal stimulation.