Reproductive behavior of the masson pine caterpillar, Dendrolimus punctatus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) under laboratory conditions

The pine caterpillar, Dendrolimus punctatus Walker (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), is one of the most serious defoliators of pine trees (Pinus spp.) in China. Despite this, little is known with regard to the reproductive behavior of this insect. In the present study, we investigated the circadian rhythm of adult eclosion, mating and oviposition under laboratory conditions. The age at which moths mate and the frequency and duration of mating bouts were recorded. Eclosion and mating behavior were limited to nocturnal hours. Male and female eclosion peaked between 3 and 4 h, and between 4.5 and 5.5 h after the initiation of scotophase, respectively. Mating behavior peaked between 10 and 11.5 h after the initiation of scotophase. Most ovipositions occurred during the scotophase, displaying one distinct peak between 3 and 3.5 h after the initiation of scotophase. More than 70 % of matings occurred on the first scotophase after adult eclosion and the percentage of successful matings declined dramatically with moth age, indicating age was an important factor in the mating success of this species. If males or females paired with newly ecloced virgin partners after each successful mating, 57.6 % of males and 24.2 % of females mated more than once, mating an average of 2.0 ± 0.2 and 1.3 ± 0.1 times, respectively, suggesting males are generally polygynous, while females are monandrous. The copulation duration of this moth lasted on average 16.6 ± 0.1 h and was not influenced by moth age and female mating frequency, but was negatively influenced by male mating frequency. These data provide basic information to further study the mating system of D. punctatus, and could lead to the development of behavior-based pest control strategies of this species.