BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

The Annona fruit borer, Cerconota anonella, causes significant damage to the fruits of Annona squamosa (custard apple) and A. muricata (soursop). The methods currently available for the control of this pest are costly and new techniques, possibly involving the use of pheromones for trapping or disrupting the mating cycle of the insect are required. In order to provide the basic information required for the development of new control systems, the reproductive behaviour of the moth was observed under laboratory conditions. The calling and courtship behaviours exhibited by virgin females and males of C. anonella commenced at the eighth hour of the scotophase and continued for a 3.5-h period. Males were attracted by conspecific females as young as 1 d old, and showed a courtship behaviour composed of three steps: antennation, wing fanning and short flights. Mating mainly occurred when both males and females were between 2 and 5 d old, but maximum activity was observed on the third day after emergence. Receptive females elevated their wings, showing their abdomens where the abdominal hairpencils were already exposed. As part of the courtship repertoire and immediately prior to copula, males performed pronounced sideways movements of their abdomens, a behaviour that appears to be exclusive to C. anonella. EthologyEthology 112 (2006) 971-976 ª 2006 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin Reproductive Behaviour of Cerconota anonella E. L. da Silva et al.

Ethological studies are conducted under laboratory conditions using workers of Atta sexdens sexdens and Atta opaciceps collected from field colonies to investigate the mechanisms involved in the alarm response and intra-specific recognition in leaf-cutting ants. Hexane extracts from the heads of gardeners and generalist workers elicit higher levels of alarm response in foragers from the same colony than do mandibular gland extracts from foragers and soldiers, indicating that gardeners, generalists and foragers are primarily responsible for the production of alarm pheromone. Foragers subjected to extracts from non-nestmates exhibit significantly greater alarm responses than are induced by similar extracts derived from nestmate workers, suggesting that the alarm pheromone may have a role in nestmate recognition.