Body Odor and Sex: Do Cuticular Hydrocarbons Facilitate Sexual Attraction in the Small Hairy Maggot Blowfly?

摘要: Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) play an important role as contact pheromones in insects, particularly flies. However, for many fly taxa our understanding of the importance CHCs sexual communication is limited. Within family Calliphoridae (blowflies), sex-specific differences have been reported several species, but there no evidence that facilitate behavior. In order to elucidate function Calliphoridae, studies combining behavioral and chemical analyses are required. The present study used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, along with assays, assess whether attraction small hairy maggot blowfly, Chrysomya varipes. specific aims were to: 1) determine if differ between sexes 2) flies exhibit positive chemotaxis opposite sex. Fifty-two common both identified, quantitative numerous observed sexes. assays provided attracted sex, challenging hypothesis Ch. contrast other blowflies, varipes males invest heavily courtship displays ornamentation, so we speculate visual this species may relaxed selection communication. More broadly, findings support suggestions not always facilitate insect