Reproductive Communication in the Australian Gumleaf Skeletonizer, Uraba lugens (Walker)

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical studies demonstrate that female moths vary their investment into pheromone-releasing behaviour according to both biotic factors (including age, mating status and competitive signalling) and abiotic factors (including temperature, host plant quality, and photoperiod). This suggests that female moths are capable of sophisticated strategic adjustment of their pheromone production, yet the impact of variation in pheromone output on male arrival rates and male preferences in moths are relatively unexplored. Furthermore, studies documenting sexual chemical communication in moths have focused primarily on the chemical nature of the signal, and have largely ignored female s..