Study on the Sexual Behavior and Male Cross-Attraction among Three Geographical Populations of the Carob Moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae under Laboratory Conditions

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The carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller), (Lep.: Pyralidae), is an importantly injourious pest on a wide range of plants throughout the world and as well a major pest of pomegranate orchards in Iran. Insight into the sexual behavior of an insect is indispensable for optimizing the application of pheromone in pest control strategies and while information on reproductive behavior being the prerequisite to the chemical ecology studies. In Moths, the blend ratio of sex pheromone components as well as pheromone communication system in different areas can vary depending upon due to adaptation to varying environmental conditions and on host plants. In the course of this research, sexual behavior as well as male cross-attraction between individuals from Saveh, Arsanjan and Kerman populations were examined in wind tunnel and under laboratory conditions (27±1°C and 60±10% relative humidity, light intensity of approximately 10 lux and 0.3 m/sec of wind velocity), using two day-old calling virgin females as the source of pheromone. The results indicated that the adults began to mate starting from the first night following eclosion, with males starting the search behavior. Most males employed in the study took flight after being released in the wind tunnel. The percentages of males from Saveh, Arsanjan and Kerman populations that contacted the pheromone source were 83.3, 76.9 and 85.7% respectively. Data analysis revealed no discrimination (among test populations’ males) between female from their own population vs. females from other populations. This result reflects the fact that possible differences in pheromone blend among populations of E. ceratoniae did not prevent cross-attraction under laboratory conditions. Insight into the sexual behaviors and an identification of the interfering factors can be of practical importance for the development of integrated pest management systems in pomegranate orchards in Iran.

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