Effect of body size and sex ratio on male alternative mating tactics of the West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.2010.00975.x
• Publication Date: 2010-03-15T11:52:23Z
• Authors: Norikuni Kumano; Takashi Kuriwada; Keiko Shiromoto; Dai Haraguchi; Tsuguo Kohama
• Keywords: Sterile Insect Technique

Abstract Male body size is considered to be one of the major determinants mating success among many insect species. Because effectiveness sterile technique (SIT) depends on ability released males mate with and inseminate wild females, it indispensable understand effect male behavior both sexes for progress SIT program. We investigated how presence other rival affect guarding copulatory durations West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). In this species, guard females before after copulation. By observing under two sex‐ratio conditions (male‐to‐female ratios 1:1 2:1), we found that small hastened court when were present, but rejected these as mates. Therefore, consider female weevils adopt a counter‐adaptation preference in response strategy. Body did not copulation post‐copulatory guarding. Although conditional strategy E. , unlikely have large influence weevil‐eradication program using SIT.