Effects of Interspecific Hybridization Between Heliothis virescens and Heliothis subflexa on the Sex Pheromone Communication System

Abstract

Among vagile, closely related species which share common ranges, reproductive isolation is often effected by mechanisms which act prior to copulation (Mayr 1970). Numerous studies have demonstrated the significance of sex pheromones for the maintenance of premating reproductive isolation among insect species. Generally, lepidopterous species rely on differences in the chemical components or the component ratios of the sex pheromones to promote reproductive isolation (Roelofs and Cardé 1974), although among certain groups, behavior associated with sex pheromones appears to be of primary importance (Teal et al. 1978).