Plodia interpunctella: Effect of Sex Ratio on Reproductivity1

The effect of sex ratio on the reproductive capacity of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), was compared in a test of sequential mating and by varying the ratio of males to females from 6:1 to 1:6. Males mated as many as 10 times and females as many as 5 times. The sex ratio had a great effect on the number of times a male mated but had much less effect on female mating. The total number of progeny produced was directly correlated to the number of matings by males but not to the number by females. The maximum number of progeny per male was 2200 and the maximum per female was 450. High moth densities did not affect mating frequency.