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Relevance of Male Size to Female Mate Choice in Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae): Investigations with Wild and Laboratory-Reared Flies

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Abstract

We examined the influence of male size on the mating success of both wild and laboratory populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata. Laboratory females selected larger males even when smaller males were present in large proportions (5:1), although this phenomenon did not occur when the proportion was extended to 10:1. Wild females were observed to prefer wild males over laboratory-reared ones independent of their respective sizes, and wild males of different sizes were found to transfer similar quantities of sperm to the spermathecae of the females.

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Acknowledgements

We thank CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) for the finantial support granted to the first author.

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  1. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Biologia, Salvador, BA, Brazil

    Jamile Câmara de Aquino & Iara Sordi Joachim-Bravo

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  1. Jamile Câmara de Aquino
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  2. Iara Sordi Joachim-Bravo
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Correspondence to Jamile Câmara de Aquino or Iara Sordi Joachim-Bravo.

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de Aquino, J.C., Joachim-Bravo, I.S. Relevance of Male Size to Female Mate Choice in Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae): Investigations with Wild and Laboratory-Reared Flies. J Insect Behav 27, 162–176 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-013-9410-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-013-9410-8

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