HORMONAL-CONTROL OF SEXUAL RECEPTIVITY IN COCKROACHES

Many animals exhibit specific behaviors associated with sexual recepti vity only when they are reproductively competent. In insects with gona dal maturation cycles, these behaviors usually coincide with ovarian m atruation. In the cockroach Blattella germanica, juvenile hormone (JH) , produced by the corpora allata (CA), regulates female reproductive p hysiology. Various experimental manipulations! including ablation of t he CA? therapy with JH analogs, CA denervation. ovariectomy, and chang ing nutrient quality, coupled with time-lapse video recording, support the hypothesis that JH also controls female sexual receptivity. A re- examination of the role of the CA in the maturation of male sexual rea diness shows that, while sexual behavior develops in the absence of JH in both B, germanica and Supella longipalpa, JH accelerates the expre ssion of sexual readiness.