Involvement of Juvenile Hormone in the Regulation of Pheromone Release Activities in a Moth

Juvenile hormone has been implicated in the mediation of several reproduction-related events in adult insects, but had previously been found to play no role in the regulation of sex pheromone production and release behavior ("calling") in moths. In females of the true armyworm moth, Pseudaletia unipuncta, juvenile hormone is shown to be essential to the initiation of both calling behavior and pheromone production. Females without corpora allata, the source of juvenile hormone, do not call and do not produce pheromone, but injection of juvenile hormone into allatectomized females restored these activities. The armyworm's control system has likely evolved in response to the adults' migratory behavior which may necessitate that mating be restricted to the period following migration.