Department of Entomology and Pesticide Research Center, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, Michigan.
J Chem Ecol. 1984 Jan;10(1):25-31. doi: 10.1007/BF00987640.
In high-density populations, the male gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) "appetitive" flight is primarily vertical and within 1-50 cm of tree boles. Preceding location of a female, males land on trees or occasionally tree foliage and walk while wing-fanning. In high-density populations females may mate before calling, often prior to wing expansion or hardening. Additional matings may occur before any or full deposition of egg masses. Virgin females are not coy, whether their wings are unexpanded, or hardened and held rooflike, or whether they are calling or not. They generally mate with the first willing male and do not exercise sexual selection by an acceptance or rejection reaction. The mating structure in dense populations would seem to reduce selective pressure for female emission of and direct male anemotactic flight to attractant pheromone. A low proportion of males "search" appropriate objects, especially tree trunks, in the walking-wing-fanning state. Such males often are successful in locating virgin females before calling commences. This male strategy presumably would not be successful in low population densities.
在高密度种群中，舞毒蛾雄虫的“求爱”飞行主要是垂直的，距离树干 1-50 厘米。在雌性舞毒蛾出现之前，雄虫会降落在树上，或偶尔落在树叶上，然后边扇动翅膀边行走。在高密度种群中，雌性舞毒蛾在鸣叫之前可能会交配，通常在展开或变硬翅膀之前。在产卵前或完全产卵前，可能会发生多次交配。未交配的雌性舞毒蛾并不害羞，无论它们的翅膀是否未展开，是否变硬并像屋顶一样举着，或者它们是否在鸣叫。它们通常会与第一个愿意交配的雄性交配，不会通过接受或拒绝反应来进行性选择。在高密度种群中，交配结构似乎降低了对雌性释放并引导雄性向性信息素吸引剂进行趋风飞行的选择压力。只有一小部分雄性会以行走-扇动翅膀的状态“搜索”合适的物体，尤其是树干。这些雄性通常在鸣叫开始前成功找到未交配的雌性。这种雄性策略在低密度种群中可能不会成功。
