Odour-mediated sexual attraction in nabids (Heteroptera: Nabidae)

Abstract

In many insects, mate finding is mediated by volatile sex pheromones, but evidence in nabids is still fragmentary. The role of odour-mediated sexual attraction in two nabid species, Nabis pseudoferus and N. rugosus, was studied in a Y-tube olfactometer. Females of the two species were significantly attracted by odours of conspecifics males, and males of N. rugosus, but not of N. pseudoferus, were attracted by odours of conspecific females. Odours of conspecifics of the same gender were unattractive. These results suggest the existence of male pheromones in both species and a different female pheromone in N. rugosus.

Keywords

• male sex pheromone
• female sex pheromone
• odours
• olfactometer
• heteroptera
• nabidae
• nabis pseudoferus
• n. rugosus