d-Isoascorbic acid fed to Spodoptera littoralis moths,induces sterility due to spermatophore malformation

d-Isoascorbic acid (d-araboascorbic acid; d-erythorbic acid) fed to Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) moths causes males to produce malformed spermatophores with no reduction in their mating capacity. Males fed daily on the analogue, induced sterility in females paired with them. Female fertility and fecundity were markedly reduced compared with the reproductive potential of females mated to males fed either l-ascorbic acid or sucrose only. Spermatophore pathology originated in failure to inflate the spermatophore corpus at the time of mating. This failure was produced by a single male in two females independently, when males only had access to the analogue. Thus, the effect on the spermatophore seems linked to male ingestion of the analogue. When d-isoascorbic acid-feeding of males was discontinued after 48 hr, egg fertility was restored. When l-ascorbic acid followed the analogue, the effect of spermatophore malformation was not completely erased. The mode of action of this ascorbic acid analogue is discussed.