Pre‐release dietary treatment with methoprene, a juvenile hormone analogue, decreases the age at which male Queensland fruit flies mature and hence may decrease the post‐release delay until released sterile flies participate in sterile insect technique (SIT) programmes. However, if matings of young methoprene‐treated males are not effective at inducing sexual inhibition in their mates, then this treatment may not enhance SIT. The present study investigates efficacy of matings of methoprene‐treated males at inducing sexual inhibition in their mates. Methoprene incorporated into a diet of sugar and yeast hydrolysate (w/w 3:1) for 48 hr after emergence resulted in significantly increased male mating propensity when flies were <10 days of age, but not when older, and longer copulations. Copula latency did not vary with methoprene treatment but did decrease with age. The matings of young methoprene‐treated males were effective at inducing sexual inhibition in their mates, matching the efficacy of untreated mature males. Regardless of treatment, females had reduced tendency to remate if their first mate was 15 days of age than if their first mate was younger (6, 8 days) or older (20, 25, 30 days). Females mated by methoprene‐treated males that did remate tended to remate later in the day than females mated by untreated males. Also, second copula durations of females first mated by a 6‐ to 10‐day‐old male were shorter if the male was methoprene treated. These patterns in remating females may indicate greater efficacy of the initial mating of methoprene‐treated males. Overall, we find that the additional matings of young methoprene‐treated male Queensland fruit flies are effective at inducing sexual inhibition in their mates. This finding supports the incorporation of methoprene into pre‐release diet for SIT.

中文翻译：

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Methoprene 诱导的昆士兰年轻果蝇雄性交配可有效诱导雌性性抑制

使用甲氧普林（一种保幼激素类似物）进行预释放饮食处理，可减少雄性昆士兰果蝇成熟的年龄，因此可能会减少释放后的延迟，直到释放的不育果蝇参与昆虫不育技术 (SIT) 计划。然而，如果使用甲氧蝶呤治疗的年轻雄性交配不能有效诱导其配偶的性抑制，那么这种治疗可能不会增强 SIT。本研究调查了接受甲氧普林治疗的雄性交配在诱导其配偶性抑制方面的功效。出现后 48 小时，将甲氧戊二烯加入糖和酵母水解物（w/w 3:1）饮食中，导致雄性交配倾向显着增加，当果蝇小于 10 天时，但在年龄较大和交配时间较长时则不然。Copula 潜伏期不随甲氧普林治疗而变化，但随年龄增长而降低。接受甲氧普林治疗的年轻雄性的交配在诱导其配偶的性抑制方面是有效的，与未经治疗的成熟雄性的功效相匹配。无论采用何种治疗方法，与大配偶年龄较小（6、8 天）或年龄较大（20、25、30 天）相比，如果大配偶 15 天大，雌性的再交配倾向会降低。与未接受治疗的雄性交配的雌性与接受过甲氧普林处理的雄性交配的雌性进行复交的时间往往较晚。此外，如果雄性接受了甲氧普林治疗，则与 6 至 10 天大的雄性首次交配的雌性的第二次交配持续时间较短。雌性再交配的这些模式可能表明，接受甲氧普林处理的雄性的初始交配效果更好。全面的，我们发现，经过甲氧戊二烯处理的年轻雄性昆士兰果蝇的额外交配可有效诱导其配偶发生性抑制。这一发现支持将烯虫酯纳入 SIT 的预释放饮食中。