H. Kuba et Y. Ito, REMATING INHIBITION IN THE MELON FLY, BACTROCERA-(=DACUS)-CUCURBITAE (DIPTERA, TEPHRITIDAE) - COPULATION WITH SPERMLESS MALES INHIBITS FEMALE REMATING, Journal of ethology, 11(1), 1993, pp. 23-28
Eight hour copulation of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, which u
sually mates at dusk and finishes copulation at dawn, inhibited female
remating, while 3 h copulation did not. Copulation of females with ei
ther normal or virgin sterile males inhibited female remating. Sperm-d
epleted sterile males inhibited female remating at the same rate as no
rmal males when the copulation duration was 8 h, indicating that exist
ence or amount of sperm in females' spermathecae is not important in r
emating inhibition. Females of a wild strain remated later than female
s of a mass-reared strain, irrespective of strains of lst and 2nd male
s. This suggests that the females may control their own remating, or t
hat there is a difference between wild and mass-reared strains in thei
r sensitivity to a male substance that inhibits females' receptivity.