Mate-Locating and Courtship Behaviors of the Artichoke Plume Moth, Platyptilia carduidactyla (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae)

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Abstract
The mating behavior of the artichoke plume moth, Platyptilia carduidactyla, consists of a sequence of behaviors that coordinate the reproductive activities of the male and the female. The sequence begins with the female everting her sex pheromone gland. The male may respond to a “calling” female by (1) wing fanning; (2) flying; (3) flying upwind; (4) landing; (5) wing fluttering while walking; (6) approaching the female; (7) rapidly fluttering his wings by the female's side; and (8) making a copulatory attempt. Unsuccessful courtships often terminate with the female retracting her pheromone gland and moving away from the courting male. Once a female displays these behaviors, the male's chances of succeeding in mating with her are low. Certain doses of the pheromone (Z)-1l-hexadecenal can stimulate the whole sequence of behaviors seen in the males response to “calling” females, but only when a model of a female is present near the pheromone source. The behaviors seen in the mate-locating phase of the sequence show a distinct dose-dependent relationship, with increasing concentrations of the pheromone increasing the probability of making any behavioral transition in this phase. In the courtship phase, there is no distinct relationship between the dose of this pheromone and the probability of the male making a given transition. (Z)-1l-Hexadecenal plays an important role in the mating behavior of this species, but at close range other stimuli influence the probability that the courtship will follow the stereotyped pattern.