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Hormonal control of sexual receptivity in cockroaches

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Abstract

Many animals exhibit specific behaviors associated with sexual receptivity only when they are reproductively competent. In insects with gonadal maturation cycles, these behaviors usually coincide with ovarian matruation. In the cockroachBlattella germanica, juvenile hormone (JH), produced by the corpora allata (CA), regulates female reproductive physiology. Various experimental manipulations, including ablation of the CA, therapy with JH analogs, CA denervation, ovariectomy, and changing nutrient quality, coupled with time-lapse video recording, support the hypothesis that JH also controls female sexual receptivity. A re-examination of the role of the CA in the maturation of male sexual readiness shows that, while sexual behavior develops in the absence of JH in bothB. germanica andSupella longipalpa, JH accelerates the expression of sexual readiness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Box 7613, 27695-7613, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

    C. Schal

  2. Institute of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, 30043, Hsinchu, Taiwan, People’s Republic of China

    A. -S. Chiang

Authors
  1. C. Schal
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  2. A. -S. Chiang
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Schal, C., Chiang, A.S. Hormonal control of sexual receptivity in cockroaches. Experientia 51, 994–998 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01921755

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01921755

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