Sex Pheromones of the Oriental Fruit Fly 1 and the Melon Fly: 1 Mating Behavior, Bioassay Method, and Attraction of Females by Live Males and by Suspected Pheromone Glands of Males

Abstract

Sexually mature virgin females of the oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel, and the melon fly, D. cucurbitae Coquillett, were attracted by live males of their respective species in laboratory bioassays in 16-dm ³ cages. The gland complex of the rectal sac of the male oriental fruit fly, suspected as the source of an olfactory pheromone, was highly attractive to female oriental fruit flies. Similar glands of male melon flies were only weakly attractive to melon fly females but produced strong responses from female oriental fruit flies, which also responded positively to live melon fly males. Female melon flies showed no such interspecific response.