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Sex differences in olfaction‐mediated visual acuity in blowflies and its consequences for gender‐specific trapping
Author(s) -
Aak Anders,
Knudsen Geir K.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/j.1570-7458.2011.01103.x
Subject(s) - calliphora vicina , calliphora , biology , lucilia , calliphoridae , zoology , attraction , olfaction , ecology , larva , linguistics , philosophy
The behaviour of 650 female Calliphora vicina Robineau‐Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was examined in a wind tunnel using odour, in combination with six artificial visual stimuli, ranging from a simple black square to a three‐dimensional model of a dead mouse. The carcasses of laboratory mice were used to provide a natural odour and visual source, and a blend consisting of dimethyl trisulphide, mercaptoethanol, and o‐cresol was used to provide a synthetic lure. Significant differences were found in attraction to these odour sources: 90% of the flies oriented upwind to the natural source and 62% to the synthetic lure. No significant differences were found in upwind orientation towards different visual stimuli, but flies showed significantly more landings if the visual cues provided a vertical contrast against the background. A horizontal contrast gave no difference in landing rate compared to treatments without visual cues. In a field study, the blowfly genera Pollenia , Calliphora , and Lucilia were caught. The overall blowfly catch was significantly higher when an odour lure was present ( Pollenia : 3×, Calliphora : 15×, Lucilia : >79×). A significant three‐way interaction between visual cue, genus, and gender was found. The saprophagous Lucilia and Calliphora showed a gender‐specific response to visual stimuli, whereas the parasitic Pollenia did not. A 2:1 female:male sex ratio was found for Calliphora spp. and a 12:1 sex ratio for Lucilia spp. The data suggest that landing responses of male and female saprophagous blowflies, and consequently trap catches, result from olfaction, but also from gender‐specific visual responses when under the influence of odour.