The effects of laboratory culturing on (Z)‐9‐tricosene (muscalure) quantities on female houseflies

Abstract

Using gas chromatography the relative amounts of (Z)‐9‐tricosene (muscalure) and some other hydrocarbons on the cuticle of 1‐ to 20‐day‐old houseflies (Musca domestica L.) from different strains were determined. Flies from a WHO strain, in culture since 1961, and first‐generation laboratory‐cultured flies from two wild‐type strains from a poultry breeding and a cow‐house with pigsty, respectively, were compared. On WHO females hydrocarbons with 23–25 C atoms constituted about 65% of the total hydrocarbons, whereas on wild‐type females less than 2% of these compounds was present. (Z)‐9‐tricosene comprised up to 20–30% of the total hydrocarbons on 5‐ to 20‐day‐old WHO females, whereas less than 0.5% (Z)‐9‐tricosene was present on the wild‐type females. We also compared the amounts of (Z)‐9‐tricosene and some other hydrocarbons on female houseflies, kept in culture in the laboratory for several generations. It appeared that whereas on first‐generation wild‐type females hardly or no (Z)‐9‐tricosene could be detected, the amounts of this substance had increased considerably after some tens of generations in the laboratory. It is suggested that this was due to selection in subsequent generations of high‐density populations. Production of (Z)‐9‐tricosene and of tricosane was shown to be closely linked. Selection did not affect the production of other cuticular hydrocarbons by the females. It is suggested that in mixed populations (both sexes together in a cage) in the course of time (Z)‐9‐tricosene is transferred from females to males and (Z)‐9‐heptacosene from males to females. It is concluded that reproductive ability of houseflies does not primarily depend on the amounts of (Z)‐9‐tricosene on females, although higher amounts of this substance may increase contacts between males and females.

Gonotrophic Development and Survival in Field Populations of <I>Musca domestica</I> (Diptera: Muscidae) at Dairies in California, Minnesota, and Georgia, and the Relationship of Fly Age to Relative Abundance of (<I>Z</I>)-9-Tricosene (Muscalure)

“…Several studies have observed that Þeld house ßy populations vary substantially in detectable presence and levels of (Z)-9-tricosene (Adler et al 1984, Noorman and Den Otter 1997, Darbro et al 2005, Butler et al 2009). Many or most individuals in a given wild population may even lack that hydrocarbon, whereas its relative amount can increase in laboratory colonies with time (Noorman and Den Otter 2001, Darbro et al 2005, Butler et al 2009). The muscalure trends reported here mirror those found in mating females from the a Daily survivorship calculated using 1) DD accumulations required to reach the gravid stage in a laboratory setting, and 2) with days to reach gravid stage calculated from pterin-based DD ages and local temperatures.…”

Luring houseflies (Musca domestica) to traps: do cuticular hydrocarbons and visual cues increase catch?

“…Similarly, we were unable to detect any variation in male and female catch rates based on sex‐specific olfactory stimuli. Although differences in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles between male and female houseflies are well known (Nelson et al , 1981; Noorman & den Otter, 2001), spectral variation associated with sex has not previously been demonstrated. Here we establish a clear sexual dichromatism between male and female houseflies.…”

“…Considerable doubt has recently been cast over the role of ( Z )-9-tricosene as a sex-attractant in M. domestica ( Noorman & den Otter, 2001;Kelling et al , 2003;Darbro et al , 2005 ) and thus its use as a means of luring houseflies to traps in field situations ( Hanley et al , 2004 ). Cuticular hydrocarbons such as ( Z )-9-tricosene are of low volatility and can only influence insect behaviour at short-to-medium range ( Schiestl et al , 1999( Schiestl et al , , 2000Noorman & den Otter, 2001;Kelling et al , 2003 ). By contrast, it is widely believed that variation in trap colour and the use of strong contrast patterns to mimic aggregations of feeding houseflies significantly enhances catch rates ( Mitchell et al , 1975;Chapman et al , 1999 ).…”

“…Initial experimental inconsistencies and difficulties in understanding the role of this compound in housefly biology were reviewed by Howard & Blomquist (1982) and recent work has cast further doubt over the efficacy of ( Z )‐9‐tricosene as an attractant, particularly over long distances and at the concentrations normally produced by wild houseflies (Chapman et al , 1998b; Kelling et al , 2003; Hanley et al , 2004). Problems with this focused view of ( Z )‐9‐tricosene as a sex attractant are illustrated by a field survey which failed to detect any ( Z )‐9‐tricosene in many populations of housefly (Darbro et al , 2005) and other findings of evidence that ( Z )‐9‐tricosene production is a response to environmental stress (Noorman & den Otter, 2001, 2002). Given that blends rather than single compounds are usual in insect communication systems and hydrocarbon blends of low volatility can evoke strong behavioural responses over the short‐to‐medium range (Howard & Blomquist, 1982; Schiestl et al , 1999, 2000), the attractant properties of other cuticular hydrocarbons from houseflies, particularly when presented in realistic ratios, need to be assessed.…”

“…Two different, but often interactive, approaches have been employed for this purpose. The principal technique has been to impregnate targets with ( Z )-9-tricosene, one of many hydrocarbons associated with the cuticular layers of the housefly ( Carlson et al , 1971;Nelson et al , 1981;Noorman & den Otter, 2001 ). Initial experimental inconsistencies and difficulties in understanding the role of this compound in housefly biology were reviewed by Howard & Blomquist (1982) and recent work has cast further doubt over the efficacy of ( Z )-9tricosene as an attractant, particularly over long distances and at the concentrations normally produced by wild houseflies ( Chapman et al , 1998b;Kelling et al , 2003;Hanley et al , 2004 ).…”