Remating in Anastrepha sp.1 aff. fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae): An Analysis Using rose Mutation

The propensity of females to cross with more than one male is a relevant aspect in tephritid fruit fly biology since many species are pests of fruticulture. The knowledge about mating systems of a target pest-species is crucial for defining efficient strategies for insect population control, e.g., for the sterile insect technique (SIT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the propensy to remate of the tephritid Anastrepha sp.1 aff. fraterculus females. For this purpose it was used an autosomic recessive mutation, rose, that affects eye-color, in two designed experimental systems: one in which wild-type and rose males were sequentially offered to cross with rose females and another one in which the rose females had to choose to cross with a wild-type, to a rose male or to both (remate). By simple analyses of the progeny phenotypes it was possible to recognize whether the females had remated or not. About a third of the females produced mixed progenies with wild-type and rose individuals, thereby indicating remating during the week the experiment lasted. Data indicated that remating rate was higher than previously reported for this species, and it could be shown that the sperms derived from the different males the females had crossed had been used in egg fertilization.