Flight Performance, Fecundity, and Ovary Development of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Torticidae) at Different Ages

Abstract

Grapholita molesta is one of the most serious pests in fruits orchards. Flight performance of male insects and fecundity of female insects are important quality control parameters when moths are mass-reared for use in environment-friendly control strategies such as the sterile insect technique (SIT). However, information about flight performance, fecundity, and ovary development of G. molesta at different ages is scarce. In this study, we used a flight mill information system to measure the flight ability of female and male adults of G. molesta at different ages, and evaluated fecundity and ovarian development of female adults at different ages. The results demonstrated that the flight parameters (cumulative flight distance, cumulative flight time, maximum flight distance and maximum flight duration) of female and male G. molesta varied with age. Six-day-old female moths and three-day-old male moths were the strongest fliers, whereas the fecundity of one-day and two-day-old female moths was significantly lower than that of three to seven-day-old females. Five-day-old females had the highest fecundity. Their ovaries demonstrated mature eggs in the lateral and middle oviducts as of the third day post-emergence. It is suggested that the optimal age for moths to be released in SIT programs is three days, and moths older three days can be used for mass-rearing in a factory.

Variations in Mating and Reproduction in Oriental Fruit Moth Caused by Adult Physiological State in Laboratory Tests

“…We reported earlier that, under laboratory conditions, the male G. molesta preferred young females, whereas the females preferred mated males [ 14 ]. These observations suggest that the mating system of G. molesta is modulated by the age and mating history of both sexes, which may be related to the development of the female ovaries and male ductus among the mating and egg-maturation and oviposition stages [ 15 , 16 ]. However, when one sex encounters the opposite sex based on different physiological states in this type of mating system, the variations in their mating and reproductive behavior because of individual fitness are unclear.…”