scholarly journals Fine-scale abundance and distribution of wild silk moth pupae

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Veldtman ◽  
M.A. McGeoch ◽  
C.H. Scholtz

AbstractAlthough several factors influence herbivore insect distributions at any particular scale, the most important determinants are likely to differ between species with different life histories. Identifying what these factors are and how they relate to life history forms an important component of understanding the population dynamics of species, and the habitat requirements necessary for their conservation. The pupal stage of two wild silk moth species, Gonometa postica Walker and G. rufobrunnea Aurivillius (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), is the target of harvesting practices that are totally dependent on the availability of pupae from natural populations. Consequently, and partly due to poor knowledge of the species' biology, there is substantial interest in the distribution of pupae among and within trees for both these species. It was investigated whether between- and within-tree pupal distributions in these two species are non-random, and if so, whether there are relationships between pupation site use and tree characteristics such as tree size, available pupation space and branch position. Between-tree patterns in pupal abundance were random in terms of absolute spatial position, but markedly non-random with respect to tree characteristics. The apparent G. postica pupae were aggregated on large larval host plants, whereas the cryptic G. rufobrunnea pupae were aggregated on non-host plants. These patterns reflect the life history differences of the two species. In contrast, at the within-tree scale, branch position, aspect and tree shape influenced pupation site choice similarly for both species. These patterns might be related to microclimate. Documenting between-tree and within-tree patterns in Gonometa pupal distributions is the first step towards explaining pupation site selection, as well as identifying possible evolutionarily selective factors in the species, and generating testable hypotheses from these.

Koedoe ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R.F. Terblanche ◽  
H. Van Hamburg

Due to their intricate life histories and the unique wing patterns and colouring the butterflies of the genus Chrysoritis are of significant conservation and aesthetic value. Thisoverview probes into practical examples of butterfly life history research applicable to environmental management of this relatively well-known invertebrate group in South Africa. Despite the pioneer work on life histories of Chrysoritis in the past, more should be done to understand the life history of the butterflies in the wild, especially their natural host plants and the behaviour of adults and larvae. A system of voucher specimens of host plants should be introduced in South Africa. Although various host plant species in nature are used by the members of Chrysoritis, including the Chrysoritis chrysaor group, the choice of these in nature by each species is significant for conservation management and in the case of Chrysoritis aureus perhaps even as a specific characteristic.A revision of the ant genus Crematogaster will benefit the conservation management of Chrysoritis species since some of these ant species may consist of a number of specieswith much more restricted distributions than previously thought. Rigorous quantified tudies of population dynamics of Chrysoritis butterflies are absent and the introductionof such studies will benefit conservation management of these localised butterflies extensively.


Parasitology ◽  
1933 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Brown

1. The life history of Lecithodendrium chilostomum has been established; C. Lecithodendrii chilostomi penetrates a second intermediate host, the larva of Phryganea grandis, and unlike other stylet cercariae does not encyst, but feeds and grows in the host tissue as a mobile metacercaria. During pupation of the host in the following year these mobile forms migrate from the abdominal segments of the larva to the thorax, where they then encyst in the thoracic muscles in which they are also found in the imago. The largest metacercariae and the excysted worms are typical early adult Lecithodendrium chilostomum. No case of progenesis in the metacercaria was found.2. It is estimated that the maximum swarming of the cercariae probably occurs during July, when first penetration of the intermediate host takes place. Subsequent diminished swarming and penetration proceed until November. The life of the larval trematode as a mobile metacercaria is approximately 8 months; the imagines of Phryganea grandis emerge during May and June, the infective period for the final host.3. The metacercariae are not distributed throughout the body cavity of their larval host, but the majority are confined to the three posterior segments.4. Limnophilus rhombicus may also serve as a second intermediate host, but the infection is very light and the metacercariae do not encyst during pupation of this host.5. The excretory system has been determined in all stages of Lecithodendrium chilostomum; it is of the 2 (6 × 2) type. The occurrence of this type of system in other groups of cercariae is reviewed and since it is found in several widely separated families, it is suggested that its presence does not necessarily imply relationship, but is due to convergence.6. The life histories of the following bat trematodes are indicated: Lecitho-dendrium lagena, Plagiorchis vespertilionis and Crepidostomum moeticus.7. The life history of Dicrocoelium dendriticum is discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1834) ◽  
pp. 20152764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli M. Swanson ◽  
Anne Espeset ◽  
Ihab Mikati ◽  
Isaac Bolduc ◽  
Robert Kulhanek ◽  
...  

Nutrition is a key component of life-history theory, yet we know little about how diet quality shapes life-history evolution across species. Here, we test whether quantitative measures of nutrition are linked to life-history evolution across 96 species of butterflies representing over 50 independent diet shifts. We find that butterflies feeding on high nitrogen host plants as larvae are more fecund, but their eggs are smaller relative to their body size. Nitrogen and sodium content of host plants are also both positively related to eye size. Some of these relationships show pronounced lineage-specific effects. Testis size is not related to nutrition. Additionally, the evolutionary timing of diet shifts is not important, suggesting that nutrition affects life histories regardless of the length of time a species has been adapting to its diet. Our results suggest that, at least for some lineages, species with higher nutrient diets can invest in a range of fitness-related traits like fecundity and eye size while allocating less to each egg as offspring have access to a richer diet. These results have important implications for the evolution of life histories in the face of anthropogenic changes in nutrient availability.


2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Jarosław BURY

Aricia agestis (Lycaenidae) is a widespread and not endangered species, however its biology is poorly known in Poland. Helianthemum nummularium L. (Cistaceae) and Erodium cicutarium L., Geranium pratense L., Geranium sanquineum L., and Geranium pusilum L. (Geraniaceae) were mentioned as larval host plants from Poland so far, but no data about preimaginal stages of the species were known from south-eastern part of the country. From 2009 up to 2014 many new records of imagines of A. agestis were revealed in mountain and sub-mountain zones of Podkarpacie region, where A. agestis was known from few isolated localities. Additionally, during the observations carried out in 2012 in central and south Podkarpacie region, eggs and early instar caterpillars (L1 & L2) of the second generation were found for the first time in nature on Geranium phaeum L. (Lipnik), and their occurrence on G. pratense L. was detected at the locality of Markowa. Interactions of caterpillars with ants were not recorded. In conclusion, A. agestis is in expansion in mountain and sub-mountain zones of Podkarpacie region (south-eastern Poland) and Geranium phaeum L. is established as the new larval host plants of A. agestis from Poland.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Specht ◽  
Fernando M S Dias ◽  
Germán San Blas ◽  
Vânia F Roque-Specht ◽  
Mirna M Casagrande ◽  
...  

Abstract Feltia subterranea (Fabricius), commonly known as the granulate cutworm, is a common species of owlet moths (Noctuidae) of major agricultural importance, widely distributed in Nearctic and Neotropical regions. This study was conducted to determine the species biological parameters, gather information about its larval host plants, and assess the agricultural significance of this species in the Americas. The viability of the egg, larval, pupal stages, and prepupal period was 98, 98, and 100%, respectively, under laboratory conditions. The average duration of the egg, larval, pupal stages, and prepupal period was 3, 17, 4, and 13 d, respectively. All laboratory-reared larvae developed through five instars. The growth ratio was 1.93 for females and 1.85 for males. The duration of the larval stage was significantly longer in females than in males from the fourth instar. The duration of the pupal stage was significantly shorter in females than in males. When larval and pupal stage durations were combined, there were no significant differences in total development time as a function of sex. In total, 159 botanical taxa belonging to 41 families were recorded as host species for F. subterranea. The families with the greatest number of host species were Fabaceae (22), Poaceae (19), Asteraceae (16), Brassicaceae (13), Solanaceae (12), Amaranthaceae (7), Cucurbitaceae (7), and Malvaceae (5). It is noteworthy that the large number of native weeds used by F. subterranea as host plants could represent a significant source of infestation of crops in the agricultural landscape.


Author(s):  
Maren N. Vitousek ◽  
Laura A. Schoenle

Hormones mediate the expression of life history traits—phenotypic traits that contribute to lifetime fitness (i.e., reproductive timing, growth rate, number and size of offspring). The endocrine system shapes phenotype by organizing tissues during developmental periods and by activating changes in behavior, physiology, and morphology in response to varying physical and social environments. Because hormones can simultaneously regulate many traits (hormonal pleiotropy), they are important mediators of life history trade-offs among growth, reproduction, and survival. This chapter reviews the role of hormones in shaping life histories with an emphasis on developmental plasticity and reversible flexibility in endocrine and life history traits. It also discusses the advantages of studying hormone–behavior interactions from an evolutionary perspective. Recent research in evolutionary endocrinology has provided insight into the heritability of endocrine traits, how selection on hormone systems may influence the evolution of life histories, and the role of hormonal pleiotropy in driving or constraining evolution.


2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 15-60
Author(s):  
Paula A. A. Gomes ◽  
Marcel G. Hermes ◽  
Flávia R. Fernandes ◽  
Fernando A. Frieiro-Costa

Author(s):  
Yume Imada

Abstract Different physical structures play a central role in animal camouflage. However, in evolutionary studies of mimicry, the ecological and evolutionary significance of such structures has been poorly investigated. Larvae of long-bodied craneflies, Cylindrotominae, are all obligate herbivores and resemble plants. They are distinctively characterized by possessing numerous elongated cuticular lobes on the integument. A comprehensive overview of the biology and morphology of cylindrotomids, particularly their larval stages, is laid out, providing original data on nine species. To explore the ecological background of moss resemblance, host-plants of most examined species are clarified, revealing that terrestrial moss-feeding species tend to use specific groups of mosses, either belonging to Bryales or Hypnales. However, the evolution of cryptic forms remains paradoxical, due to the apparent absence of visual predators. Based on histological examinations, extensive internal musculatures within the cuticular lobes on the lateral side are discovered, shedding new light on their function in locomotion. Traditional functional explanations for these lobes, particularly as devices for respiration, locomotion and attachment, are challenged. This study promotes our understanding of the ecomorphology of mimicry devices, which is an angle often dismissed in evolutionary studies of mimicry.


Author(s):  
Marcin W. Zielonka ◽  
Tom W. Pope ◽  
Simon R. Leather

Abstract The carnation tortrix moth, Cacoecimorpha pronubana (Hübner, [1799]) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is one of the most economically important insect species affecting the horticultural industry in the UK. The larvae consume foliage, flowers or fruits, and/or rolls leaves together with silken threads, negatively affecting the growth and/or aesthetics of the crop. In order to understand the polyphagous behaviour of this species within an ornamental crop habitat, we hypothesized that different host plant species affect its life history traits differently. This study investigated the effects of the host plant species on larval and pupal durations and sizes, and fecundity (the number of eggs and the number and size of egg clutches). At 20°C, 60% RH and a 16L:8D photoperiod larvae developed 10, 14, 20 and 36 days faster when reared on Christmas berry, Photinia (Rosaceae), than on cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus (Rosaceae), New Zealand broadleaf, Griselinia littoralis (Griseliniaceae), Mexican orange, Choisya ternata (Rutaceae), and firethorn, Pyracantha angustifolia (Rosaceae), respectively. Female pupae were 23.8 mg heavier than male pupae, and pupal weight was significantly correlated with the duration of larval development. The lowest and the highest mean numbers of eggs were produced by females reared on Pyracantha (41) and Photinia (202), respectively. Clutch size differed significantly among moths reared on different host plants, although the total number of eggs did not differ. This study showed that different ornamental host plants affect the development of C. pronubana differently. Improved understanding of the influence of host plant on the moth's life history parameters measured here will help in determining the economic impact that this species may have within the ornamental plant production environment, and may be used in developing more accurate crop protection methodologies within integrated pest management of this insect.


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