The sexual behaviour of Panstrongylus megistus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): An experimental study
The factors affecting the sexual behaviour of Panstrongylus megistus were studied under laboratory conditions. A general description of mating behaviour is presented for this species. The effect of the time elapsed after the first imaginal feeding on the mating frequency, the motivation of males to...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2004 |
| País: | Argentina |
| Institución: | Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales |
| Repositorio: | Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN) |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | paperaa:paper_00740276_v99_n3_p295_Pires |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00740276_v99_n3_p295_Pires |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Chagas disease Mating Panstrongylus megistus Sex pheromones Sexual behaviour Triatominae pheromone article behavior controlled study copulation feeding female male mating motivation nonhuman Panstrongylus sexual behavior Hemiptera Reduviidae |
| Sumario: | The factors affecting the sexual behaviour of Panstrongylus megistus were studied under laboratory conditions. A general description of mating behaviour is presented for this species. The effect of the time elapsed after the first imaginal feeding on the mating frequency, the motivation of males to mate and the rejection behaviour by females, were analyzed. We also determined the number of copulas accepted by females of this species. Finally, the possible existence of a sexual chemical signal promoting male aggregation around mating couples was evaluated. Results showed that mating frequency increased with the time elapsed since the first adult meal. Despite the number of male copulatory attempts did not change as a function of time, the rejection behaviour of females became gradually less frequent. Females rejected mating by means of body flattening on the substrate, abdominal movements, evasion or stridulation. After a single copula, females did not usually accept to mate again. Neither male nor female aggregation around mating couples was observed, suggesting the absence of a sexual assembling pheromone in P. megistus. |
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