Post-copulatory sexual behaviour of Anastrepha ludens males resistant to hyric stress

DIAZ-FLEISCHER FRANCISCO; TEJEDA MARCO TULIO; HERRERA-CRUZ MARIANA; ABRAHAM SOLANA; ARREDONDO JOSÉ; REYES-HERNÁNDEZ MARTHA; PÉREZ-STAPLE, DIANA

Buenos Aires

Simposio; 9th Meeting of the Tephritid Workers of the Western Hemisphere; 2016

SENASA

Resistance to desiccation is a critical capability that could increasesterile fly performance in dry environments. We studied the post-copulatorybehaviour and physiology of a strain of Anastrephaludens resistant to hydric stress. Due to a potential trade-off betweencharacters favored by artificial selection for desiccation resistance and somecharacteristics of the ejaculate, we explored the performance of resistantmales in terms of: i) number of sperm stored by their mates, ii) quantity ofproteins in accessory glands and testes, iii) ability to suppress femalereceptivity after copulation, and iv) female longevity after mating. For sperm count, pairs of control females and resistant or control maleswere obtained. The number of sperm stored in the three spermathecae wasquantified. Protein was quantified in the accessory glands and testes ofresistant and control males using the Bradford technique. Male ability toinhibit female remating 48 h after mating was evaluated using pairs of wildfemales mated with resistant or control males. Pairs of the four combinationsamong resistant and control males and females were obtained. After mating,females were kept singly and survival was recorded three times a day, untildeath. As an additional control, virgin resistant and control females wereused.Resistant males transferred lower numbers of sperm to females than controlmales but had similar quantities of protein in their accessory glands andtestes. They were just as likely to inhibit wild female remating as controlmales. Female survivorship depended on female strain. Resistant females livedlonger than control females, irrespective of being virgin or mated with controlor resistant males. Desiccation resistant males had a similar post-copulatory sexualperformance compared with control males, despite the lower numbers of spermstored by females mated with resistant males. Desiccation resistant females donot derive nutrients or water from mating. These results are encouraging for the use of this strain in SIT programs.