Chemical basis of courtship in a beetle (Neopyrochroa flabellata): cantharidin as precopulatory "enticing" agent.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 8692843.
- Also identified by PMC identifier 39051.
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Abstract
Male Neopyrochroa flabellata have a natural affinity for cantharidin (Spanish fly). They are attracted to cantharidin baits in the field and feed on the compound if it is offered to them in the laboratory. Males that ingest cantharidin secrete cantharidin from a cephalic gland. Females sample secretion from this gland during courtship and mate preferentially with males that had fed on cantharidin. Cantharidin-unfed males can be rendered acceptable to females if cantharidin is added to their cephalic gland.
Medical subject headings
- Cantharidin
- Coleoptera
- Sex Attractants
- Sexual Behavior, Animal