The mating strategy and reproductive performance of Agriphila aeneociliella (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a new insect pest of wheat in China

Abstract

The Eastern Grass‐veneer Agriphila aeneociliella (Eversmann) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a serious stem‐feeding pest of wheat crops that has become established in China in recent years. A better understanding of the mating strategy and reproductive performance of A. aeneociliella could improve integrated pest management programmes against this newly established species by disturbing its behaviour and reducing its reproduction potential. Based on ethological and reproductive biological approaches, the mating and reproductive performances of A. aeneociliella were investigated. Unlike the common nocturnal lepidopterans, the mating rhythm of A. aeneociliella moths showed a marked diurnal pattern. The female courtship rhythm and the mating rhythm reached peaks within the first 2 h after the onset of photocycle. The mating success rate of monogamous pairs was 55.6%, whereas the male‐biased sex ratio (2♂:1♀) increased the mating rate (72.2%) and the female‐biased ratio (1♂:3♀) led to the lowest mating rate (27.8%). Both females and males were able to mate twice. The duration of copulation decreased substantially with male mating frequency, whereas, when a previously mated female was paired with a virgin male, fecundity significantly increased. Monogamous couples who mated only once in their lives have the highest hatchability (97.13 ± 0.49%).

Pheromones emitted by both female and male moths regulate coordination between the sexes for Agriphila aeneociliella (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

“…Higher concentration (1 μg/μL) of female pheromone components did not affect the male response. Our previous observations showed that male behavioral responses were inhibited when presented with 3 females (Zhan et al, 2020), which may also be related to the higher concentration of female pheromone likely to be present. However, 1-nonanal (the male-produced pheromone) was only detected from treatments with males (1M1F and 2M), and this compound induced electrophysiological responses in the antennae of both males and females.…”

“…3M : 1F) did not result in successful mating, even though it can induce male excitatory behavior (Zhan et al. , 2020). The ternary pheromone mixture may play a dual role in the regulation of sexual coordination in moths.…”

“…The Eastern Grass Veneer moth, Agriphila aeneociliella (Eversmann) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a recently reported pest in China that feeds on the base of wheat stems, causing serious yield loss during pest outbreaks (Chi et al, 2016). Previous study found that the calling females and males of A. aeneociliella exhibited typical pheromone-releasing behaviors, with females exposing their pseudo-ovipositor and males vibrating their everted abdominal hair pencils (Zhan et al, 2020). By repeatedly extruding and retracting their abdominal hair pencils, males trigger excitatory responses from females and other males.…”

“…Previous study found that the calling females and males of A. aeneociliella exhibited typical pheromone‐releasing behaviors, with females exposing their pseudo‐ovipositor and males vibrating their everted abdominal hair pencils (Zhan et al. , 2020). By repeatedly extruding and retracting their abdominal hair pencils, males trigger excitatory responses from females and other males.…”

Effects of operational sex ratio, mating age, and male mating history on mating and reproductive behavior inGrapholita molesta

“…Our results showed that for specific-male, the less male-biased OSR (SC 1) caused more mating, eggs laid by all mated females per cage and thus higher percentage of eggs hatched per cage, while the more male-biased OSR (SC 2) only resulted in fewer mating and eggs laid by all mated females per cage (table 1). This may have been caused by a certain degree of male competition increasing the mating rate (Zhan et al ., 2020). However, the percentage of eggs hatched per cage decreased with the less female-biased OSR (SC 3) for specific females (table 1).…”