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Updated: May 5, 2026
A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: July 17, 2017
Age-related response of male melon fliesDacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) to cue-lure
T T Wong1, D O McInnis, M M Ramadan
1Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Research Laboratory, USDA/ARS, P.O. Box 2280, 96804, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Abstract:
Laboratory-reared and wild adults of the melon fly,Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett, were tested for response to cue-lure at various ages. Virgin laboratory (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 days old) and wild (10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 days old) flies were released into outdoor field cages and trapped from 0800 until 1600 hr. Response of males to cue-lure increased with age and corresponded with sexual maturity for each strain. Females of both strains were relatively nonresponsive to cue-lure. Failure to eradicate in past male annihilation programs againstD. cucurbitae may be explained in part by the fact that only older males, which may have already mated with gravid females, respond to cue-lure.
