Mating behavior of the leaffooted bug Leptoglossus clypealis Heidemann was studied in the laboratory (27 ± 1°C, 60 ± 10% RH, photoperiod 16:8 [L:D] h). The mean premating period was 16.42 ± 0.42 d (mean ± SE). Males initiated courtship displays to females 8.13 ± 0.12 d after emergence. Paired adults mated 17.63 ± 2.02 times during their lifespan. The mean copulation duration was 3.85 ± 0.49 h. Copulations occurred throughout the day, but the majority (55%) took place during the 8 h scotophase. Mating behavior began with a male attracting a female from a distance, followed by the male approaching and courting the female at close range. Observations of mating behavior and bioassays indicated that the male produces a pheromone blend with both sex attractant and aphrodisiac functions. The male abdominal stretching behavior (stretching the ninth and part of the eighth abdominal segments frequently, and stroking them with the hind legs) during calling and courtship may aid in release and dispersal of male sex pheromone from the sex-specific ventral abdominal gland.
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1 July 2000
Mating Behavior and Evidence for Male-Produced Sex Pheromones in Leptoglossus clypealis (Heteroptera: Coreidae)
Qiao Wang,
Jocelyn G. Millar
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Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Vol. 93 • No. 4
July 2000
Vol. 93 • No. 4
July 2000
aphrodisiac
Coreidae
Leptoglossus clypealis
mating behavior
sex pheromone