C-3-2

FEMALE SEX ATTRACTIVENESS PHEROMONES OF THE BROWN TREESNAKE (BOIGA IRREGULARIS)

Michael J. Greene and Robert T. Mason
Dept. of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.


The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is an invasive pestspecies responsible for serious economic and ecological damage on the islandof Guam, including the extirpation and extinction of 10 native forest birds.As part of this study, male brown tree snake courtship behaviour and matingwere observed for the first time. A bioassay utilising these behaviourswas created to begin isolating the female sex attractiveness pheromone.Filter paper treated with female skin lipid fractions 1 through 4 (whichelicited male courtship behaviour in preliminary tests) and a control filterpaper treated with a mixture of other skin lipid fractions were presentedsimultaneously to captive males in their home cages. The fractions werepresented to each male in a randomly selected sequential order. Males spentsignificantly more time investigating fraction 4 than the control (p<0.027;paired T-test). Also, significant differences in the number of courtshipbehaviours displayed to each of the fractions versus the control were observed(?2 = 19.771, 4 d.f.; P<0.001). Fractions 1 through 4 each elicitedcourtship behaviour from the males, with fraction 4 eliciting courtshipbehaviours in 6 of 8 trials, while the control elicited no courtship behavioursfrom the males.