Effects of age on calling and mating behavior or the sapodilla fruit borer, Nepthopterix sp.(Lepidoptera : Pyralidae) / Boongeua Witethom

Abstract

The calling and mating behavior of Nephopterix moths was observed in the laboratory. The patterns of calling and mating behavior varied with age. Moths were most likely to call and mate when 2 to 5 days old. The effects of age on the onset of calling and the time spent calling were non-linear. The onset of mating also changed non-linearly with age, but time spent mating linearly decreased with age. It appears that the change of calling and mating patterns with age is correlated with increased reproductive maturity of females. Key words Nephopterix, sapodilla fruit borer, Pyralidae, calling behavior, mating behavior, sex pheromone