Host selection by larvae of a marine insect Halocladius variabilis: nutritional dependency or escape from predation?

Larvae of the Holarctic marine chironomid, Halocladius variabilis (Staeger), have strong fidelity to the tuft-forming brown alga, Elachista fucicola (Velley) Areschoug, an abundant epiphyte on intertidal fucoids of the North Atlantic. We show that larvae are sufficiently motile to select an algal host in a Petri dish within 3–4 cm, and that larvae show differential behaviour with respect to host selection in the presence or absence of a predator. In the absence of predators 53% of larvae found an algal host within 1 hour; however, after 24 hours, there was no significant difference in host selection. When an isopod predator (Idotea sp.) was present, more larvae found a host within 1 hour (81%) and Elachista was chosen over three of the four other hosts. Furthermore, when larvae were present in Elachista, predator (Carcinus maenus) success was significantly reduced relative to two other algal hosts. The adaptive significance of Elachista as a refuge from predation was confirmed by experiments demonstrating that larval growth with other algal hosts was greater than with Elachista. These experiments suggest that microhabitat selection by larvae of H. variabilis reveals important tradeoffs for growth and predator avoidance.

Occurrence, distribution and abundance of Halobates micans Eschscholtz, 1822 (Heteroptera, Gerridae) along the southeastern Brazilian coast

Data collected during an oceanographic cruise along the southeastern Brazilian coast from Cape Frio (22° 58' S) and Paraná (27° 50' S) in March 1982 showed that the marine insect Halobates micans occurred along the Southeastern Brazilian Bight, but in lower abundance in low-temperature areas due to the intrusion and upwelling of South Atlantic Central Water, and in low-salinity areas in Coastal Water. Insect capture was higher at night and in the oligotrophic Tropical Water. The number of nymphs and adult females was higher, probably because of an active breeding season during the austral summer. Adult sex ratio was 1.3:1.0 (F:M). Floating gas vesicles of benthic Sargassum spp. and petroleum lumps were used by females for egg-laying.

Nils and Halobates (Heteroptera: Gerridae)

This paper was written in memory of Nils Møller Andersen who was a dear friend and close colleague for almost 40 years. A historical account of how Nils became interested in Halobates and a summary of his major contributions to our knowledge of this unique marine insect genus are given.

Chemical Composition and Behavioral Responses of the Marine Insect Halobates hawaiiensis (Heteroptera: Gerridae)

Halobates is the only insect genus with representatives in the open ocean. How adults find one another at sea has long been an intriguing issue. Since chemical communications have been demonstrated in a related marine veliid Trochopus, and laboratory bioassays indicated behavioral differences between males and females when insect extracts were presented, we carried out similar studies on Halobates. Analyses of surface lipid constituents of female and male Halobates hawaiiensis revealed marked differences. Palmitic and oleic acid, major constituents in the male extracts, were absent in the female extract, whereas nonacosenol, dominating the female extracts, was not detected in the male extracts. Analyses of nymphal extracts indicated an intermediate chemical profile. Surface waxes of all insect stages investigated showed nonacosanol and isononacosanol to be main components. “Headspace” analyses of airborne chemicals showed high levels of 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone and benzal­dehyde from the male, whereas benzyl alcohol was the main component in the female mixture