Eur. J. Entomol. 105 (1): 159-162, 2008 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2008.022

Odour-mediated sexual attraction in nabids (Heteroptera: Nabidae)

Steffen ROTH1,3, Arne JANSSEN2, Maurice W. SABELIS2
1 Saxon Academy of Science, Research Group Jena, Erbertstrasse 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany; e-mail: steffen.roth@macnews.de
2 Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Section Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3 Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Norway

In many insects, mate finding is mediated by volatile sex pheromones, but evidence in nabids is still fragmentary. The role of odour-mediated sexual attraction in two nabid species, Nabis pseudoferus and N. rugosus, was studied in a Y-tube olfactometer. Females of the two species were significantly attracted by odours of conspecifics males, and males of N. rugosus, but not of N. pseudoferus, were attracted by odours of conspecific females. Odours of conspecifics of the same gender were unattractive. These results suggest the existence of male pheromones in both species and a different female pheromone in N. rugosus.

Keywords: Male sex pheromone, female sex pheromone, odours, olfactometer, Heteroptera, Nabidae, Nabis pseudoferus, N. rugosus

Received: April 23, 2007; Revised: August 29, 2007; Accepted: August 29, 2007; Published: February 15, 2008  Show citation

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ROTH, S., JANSSEN, A., & SABELIS, M.W. (2008). Odour-mediated sexual attraction in nabids (Heteroptera: Nabidae). EJE, 105(1), 159-162. doi: 10.14411/eje.2008.022
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