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Definitive evidence for cuticular pheromones in a cricket
Animal Behaviour
|October 1, 1997
Summary
Male field crickets use cuticular hydrocarbons for sex recognition. Removing these compounds abolished courtship, while reapplying them restored it, confirming their role as contact pheromones in Orthoptera communication.
Area of Science:
- Animal behavior
- Chemical ecology
- Insect communication
Background:
- Orthoptera species are key models for animal behavior studies, especially in communication and mating.
- Auditory communication is well-studied, but cuticular contact pheromones are increasingly recognized as a widespread communication channel.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cuticular contact pheromones in sex recognition in the field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus.
- To determine if males can distinguish female conspecifics via cuticular hydrocarbons.
Main Methods:
- Behavioral assays were conducted using Gryllus bimaculatus.
- Cuticular hydrocarbons were removed from female crickets using an organic solvent and their effect on male courtship song was observed.
- Gas chromatography was used to analyze the composition of cuticular hydrocarbons in males and females.
Main Results:
- Male response (courtship song) to females was abolished when cuticular hydrocarbons were removed.
- Restoring the cuticular extract to washed females reinstated male courtship behavior.
- Gas chromatography revealed significant quantitative differences in cuticular compounds between male and female crickets.
Conclusions:
- Cuticular contact pheromones play a crucial role in sex recognition in Gryllus bimaculatus.
- Mate recognition is likely mediated by the relative concentrations of multiple cuticular compounds, not a single sex pheromone.
- Contact pheromones are likely widespread within the Orthoptera order.