Sperm Precedence of Irradiated Mediterranean Fruit Fly Males (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

Irradiated and non-irradiated Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), males of two genotypes exhibited second male sperm precedence over the major portion of the female’s reproductive lifespan. The majority of females from polygamous copulations produced >50% of offspring from the second male. This figure is a mean number and there was great individual variation among females with values for ranging from 0.23 to 0.95. Females mated sequentially to irradiated and non-irradiated males had decreased fertility when the second male was irradiated. Females mated to irradiated males recovered fertility when remated to a non-irradiated male. These findings are of significance to sterile insect release (SIT) programs for control of the Mediterranean fruit fly where released flies will mate with wild flies and with concurrently released sterile flies. It indicates that fertility can be recovered even after a wild female mates with a released sterile male if she subsequently mates with a fertile wild male.