Reproductive rhythms of the tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

The tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura is a
serious polyphagous pest. The laboratory
investigations of lifespan reproductive patterns
described in this paper have shown that all adult
activities took place during the scotophase. After
emergence, calling, courtship and mating events
increased with time and peaked in the second night.
Mating peak were always following the calling and
courtship peaks. Most paired insects performed
the first mating within the 2nd day after
emergence and peaked at midnight while remating
peaked at dawn. Paired insects could mate up to 4
times, with an average of 1.9 ± 0.4 matings.
Females started to lay eggs a few hours (≥3h) after
the first mating (these eggs are fertilized and
hatched) and oviposition peaked in the 3rd night
after emergence. Dissection of dead females
showed the number of spermatophores in female
bursa copulatrix was equal to the number of
matings observed.