Flight initiation by male Rhodnius prolixus is promoted by female odors.

GINA B. PONTES; CLAUDIA A. ZACHARIAS; MARCELO G. LORENZO; GABRIEL MANRIQUE

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: New York; Año: 2010 vol. 36 p. 449 - 451

0098-0331

Paper Recommended by FACULTY of 1000, factor 6.0(http://f1000biology.com. Several triatomine bug species utilize chemical cues for sexual communication. We tested whether female or male Rhodnius prolixus, a vector of Chagas disease, produce volatile chemicals that elicit flight responses from conspecifics, and then isolated the source of the chemical. Males confronted with an airstream containing female odors showed a significantly greater take-off frequency compared to a blank airstream or an airstream with male odors. In contrast, females exhibited similar take-off frequencies to male or female odor as to a clean airstream. Occlusion of female metasternal glands with paraffin wax resulted in a significant decrease in male take-off frequency compared to that of intact females. Additionally, excised female metasternal glands elicited a similar take-off frequency from males as did intact females, both significantly greater than the take-off frequency to clean air. These results show that R. prolixus females release a pheromone from their metasternal glands that causes upwind flight in conspecific males.