HORMONAL-CONTROL OF REPRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTIVE-BEHAVIOR IN CRICKETS

In Orthoptera, the endocrine control of reproduction has been investig ated mainly in Acrididae. Gryllidae are also good models for the study of hormonal control of reproduction and reproductive behavior. In thi s review, special attention will be focused on the house cricket, Ache ta domesticus. In the house cricket, vitellogenesis is controlled acco rding to the classical model described for most insect orders. However , whereas allatectomy completely abolished oocyte growth in A. domesti cus, it did not totally suppress ovarian development and egg-laying in Teleogryllus commodus, Gryllus bimaculatus, and G. campestris. In the Gryllidae studied thus far, juvenile hormone UH) is not needed for ma ting behavior. In adult A. domesticus, the expression of oviposition m ovement, although independent of the presence of the ovaries, is stric tly controlled by JH III. Recent findings suggest hormonal actions on the central nervous system of the house cricket, and provide a stimula ting basis for further research on the respective involvement of hormo nes and nervous system in the control of reproductive behavior in adul t crickets. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.