Nuptial gift

We were forced to review our interpretation of the corematal message. HD, it seemed, could serve not only for proclamation of alkaloid load and of a genetic capacity, but for advertisement of a nuptial gift. We postulated that the magnitude of the male s PA offering should be proportional to his PA load, and we found this to be the case (24). 

Many anthicid species are known to be canthariphilous [121]. After take up, males store the toxin in the accessory glands and transfer it as a kind of nuptial gift to the females. Many male anthicid species are characterized by ely tral exocrine glands which serve for excretion of cantharidin depending on the cantharidin titre. Similar to Pyrochroidae (see there) females test the cantharidin load of males before copulation and select those males which previously were able to incorporate this precious defensive compound from exogenous sources. 

Dussourd D. E., Harvis C. A., Meinwald J. and Eisner T. (1991) Pheromonal advertisement of a nuptial gift by a male moth Utetheisa ornatrix. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 9224-9227. 

Eisner T., Smedley S. R., Young D. K., Eisner M., Roach B. and Meinwald J. (1996a). Chemical basis of courtship in a beetle (Neopyrochroa flabellata) cantharidin as nuptial gift. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 6499-6503. 

Rossini C., Gonzalez A. and Eisner T. (2001) Fate of an alkaloidal nuptial gift in the moth Utetheisa omatrix systemic allocation for defense of self by the receiving female. J. 

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