Influence of the larval host plant on reproductive strategies of cerambycid beetles

Abstract

This investigation into the natural history and behavior of 81 species of cerambycid beetles suggests that reproductive behavior is correlated with the condition of the larval host: Adults of species whose larvae attack living trees tend to show behavioral differences from those that attack dying or dead hosts. Behavioral differences among species that are associated with larval host condition include: (a) choice of adult food source and whether adults feed at all; (b) mechanisms of mate location and the role of long-range pheromones; (c) vagility and dispersal behaviors of adults; (d) location of the mating site; and (e) duration of copulation.