Fig. 8

Conceptual diagram proposing how sticky traps capture Phlebotomus orientalis and lead to male-biased collection. Under undisturbed conditions (i.e. natural behaviour) (a), males of P. orientalis land on the bright surface of clean un-sticky white paper and perform mating rituals, releasing pheromones and playing love songs, to attract females that may successfully copulate with them. On sticky traps made of same white papers coated with oil (b), the males would die as they land on the paper and therefore fail to attract the females; resulting in the highly male-biased sex ratio