Author
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Marti, Orville |
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Carpenter, James |
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Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2007 Publication Date: 3/1/2007 Citation: Marti, O.G., Carpenter, J.E. 2007. A character demonstrating the occurrence of mating in male Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Florida Entomologist. 90(1): 278-281. Interpretive Summary: Males of the cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, can be dissected to determine whether the moth has mated. In unmated males, a part of the posterior male reproductive duct is opaque yellow in color and contains many small crystals. In unmated males, the color and the crystals are absent and the duct is clear and pale. Therefore, the mating status of sterile moths that have been marked with a dye and released into the wild can be examined if they are recaptured. This finding is useful because it allows us to monitor the quality and competitiveness of the sterile moths. Technical Abstract: The reproductive system of adult male Cactoblastis cactorum, the cactus moth, was examined to determine whether the mating status of males could be ascertained. In unmated males, the posterior portion of the primary ductus ejaculatorius simplex is opaque yellow in color and contains many small football-shaped protein crystals 3-5 x 5-10um in size. In mated males, the posterior simplex is clear and contains no crystals. The presence or absence of these characters was found to be highly reliable and should be of value in determining mating status in marked-recaptured males of this species in a sterile insect release program directed against Cactoblastis. |
