Sexual behavior and mating compatibility of four populations of Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Argentina

MARÍA T. VERA; NATALIA PETIT-MARTY; GRACIELA CALCAGNO; JORGE L. CLADERA; DIEGO F. SEGURA; ARMANDO ALLINGHI; MARCELA RODRIGUERO; PAULA GÓMEZ CENDRA; MARIANA M. VISCARRET; ERIC STOLAR; ANDREA BARTOLUCCI; VALERIA ANTICO; NATALIA GOLDWEIC; PAULINA FERMANI; GENOVEVA PIGNATARO; ROMINA SELLARO; ROBERTA SCIURANO; ANDREA ALBERTI; JUAN C. VILARDI

Mendoza

Congreso; 4th Meeting of the Working Group on Fruit Flies of the Western Hemisphere; 2001

Knowledge on the biology of the Anastrepha fraterculus complex is incomplete. Discussions about its taxonomic status have emphasized the necessity to increase knowledge concerning the sexual behavior of this species, and determine the existence of compatibility among populations. The present study analyzed four populations from the Argentinean geographic regions of the Northwest (NOA) and Northeast (NEA): Yuto and Horco Molle (NOA), and Posadas and Concordia (NEA). Virgin males and females, 20 ± 1 days old, were released into field cages with a young citrus tree inside. Two populations were compared in each cage, and sexual behavior was recorded for five hours. Matings took place in the first hours of the morning, and 75% of them were initiated between 7:45 and 9:30 hrs. The mean mating duration obtained was 73 ± 2min (Mean ± SE) and a tendency to longer matings was observed for crosses involving both males and females from NEA populations (81 ± 2 min) compared to crosses involving both sexes from NOA populations (68 ± 1 min). In order to determine which sex was responsible for mating duration a two-way ANOVA was performed (male and female origin). It was shown that the origin of both sexes showed a significant effect on copula duration. To determine the degree of mating compatibility among populations, sexual isolation indices were calculated. The values obtained did not differ from random mating, suggesting that the four Argentinean populations studied mate compatibly with each other.