Effect of Continuous Light on the Potency of Plodia interpunctella Males (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae)

Abstract

Recent studies showed that the egg production of females of the Indian-meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), that were mated to males reared under 12-hr light :12-hr dark (LD) cycles was always higher than that of females mated to males reared under continuous light (LL) (Lum and Flaherty 1969). Even though males from either light regime copulated readily and transferred spermatopheres, the percent of females that oviposited was greater in cultures mated with LD males than in cultures mated with LL males. Oviposition in the Indian-meal moth is, therefore, stimulated by neither the physical act of mating nor the presence of a spermatophore in the bursa copulatrix. Because it was previously suspected that the quantity of spermatozoa deposited in some female insects may be the stimulus to oviposition (Norris 1933), the spermathecal contents of females mated to LD males, and females mated to LL males were compared to find the causes leading to differences in egg production and percent females ovipositing.