Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): Reproduction and Sperm Use by Wild-type and Mutant Moths1

Progeny from alternate crosses between wild-type and mutant pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), males and mutant females were examined to discover how females used sperm after multiple matings. In these tests, 27–45% of the crosses produced no progeny and 6–11% of the crosses produced progeny from multiple matings. The first mating in a sequence (when multiple mating did occur) produced the great majority (89%) of progeny, but some progeny from the second mating were produced in 19 of 21 multiple matings in one test and 2 of 11 in a second test. Thus, pink bollworm females do not show preferential use of sperm from the last mating in a sequence, as is common in many other insects, and sperm mixing does take place.