Further Evidence for the Role of Cantharidin in the Mating Behaviour of Blister Beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae)

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Cantharidin is produced by blister beetles(Coleoptera: Meloidae) and smaller oedemerid beetles(Coleopetra: Oedemeridae) and is found in hemolymph andvarious tissues. The function of cantharidin in the courtshipbehaviour of meloids had never been fully established. Ourstudies show a correlation between density of cuticularsegments of male specimens of the East African species ofEpicauta nyassensis (Haag-Rutenberg, 1880) (Coleoptera:Meloidae). Light microscopy of semi-thin cross sections ofthe male scape and pedicel indicates that there are manycanal shaped structures that stretch from the antennalhemolymph to the antennomere surface. These structuresmay be tubules, which transport cantharidin circulating inthe hemolymph to the surface, where the compound can bereleased via cuticular pore openings. Analyses of the headcapsule and antennal segments of E. nyassensis femaleswhich had been copulated with males revealed low titre ofcantharidin in the first two antennal segments. The densityextent higher than the density of these pores on flagellum;however it was considerably lower than that of the males.Interestingly, no tubular cell or other transport structureswere found in the cross sectioning of the female antennomeresor on the integument surface. During mating, male anten-nomeres, as well as cantharidin containing pores which arelocated on the 1st and 2nd antennomeres, come into directcontact with the female antennae and may release cantharidinto their surface. Female E. nyassensis may be able todiscriminate the opposite sex with abundant reserves ofcantharidin prior to mating. This is another evidence thatcantharidin function in close range sexual selection.

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