MATE LOCATION AND PRE-MATING BEHAVIOR IN APATANIA-FIMBRIATA PICTET (TRICHOPTERA, LIMNEPHILIDAE)

Males of Apatania fimbriata were caught in significantly higher numbers at sticky traps baited with whole body extracts of females than at controls, thus indicating that these extracts contained a female sex pheromone. Experiments with whole body extracts of females run during eight 24 hr periods attracted significantly more males between dawn and noon than at other times of the diel. Old pupae attracted significantly more males than young pupae. Our data show that A. fimbriata is a day-active species. At air temperature of 18-20-degrees-C females receptive for mating attracted several males, but only from a very short distance of up to about 1 m. However, observations at air temperatures at about 10-degrees-C showed that only one male sitting 10-20 cm away from the female flew and mated with her; males sitting 40-50 cm away from the receptive female did not react. We did not observe any male - male interactions before mating, and no males interrupted pairs in copula. The sexes were not observed to have an elaborate pre-mating dance. Data from sticky traps, taken from caged live females and extracts of females, on daily periodicity of locomotion associated with reproductive activity in the population, are in accordance with those obtained by direct observations.