The effects of copulation duration in the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus

Control over copulation duration is a potentially importantgenerator of sexual conflict that has received little empiricalattention. The copulatory behavior of the bruchid beetle Callosobruchusmaculatus may reflect a sexual conflict over copulation duration.Males have spines on their intromittent organs that puncturethe female reproductive tract, and females kick their matesduring copulation. If females are prevented from kicking, copulationslast longer and the injuries females sustain are more severe.Males supposedly use the spines as anchors to prolong copulationduration, and females kick to terminate copulations. We manipulatedcopulation duration experimentally and quantified its effectson male and female fitness components to test whether or notthere is a conflict over copulation duration in C. maculatus.Females did not suffer from long copulations but instead experiencedincreased lifetime fecundity. Ejaculate size increased withcopulation duration, and females apparently derive materialbenefits from the ejaculates. Males that mated first and hadlong copulations were relatively unsuccessful when competingwith sperm from other males. However, there was a trend forfemale remating propensity to decrease with long copulationdurations, and first males may therefore also benefit from longcopulations. The copulation duration of the second male to matedid not have a significant effect on sperm precedence. We concludethat even though it seems likely that the male spines have evolvedto act as an anchor during copulation, there seems to be littleconflict over copulation duration per se in C. maculatus.     

Insecticidal and biological efficacy of two vegetable oils against Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) under laboratory conditions

Bioefficacy of two vegetable oils, namely ethyl oleate and Acorus calamus, were conducted against the pulse beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabr.) under a constant temperature of 29 ± 1 °C and a relative humidity of 65 ± 5% R.H. Four concentrations (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0%) of each oil were used against the adult and tested their latent effect on the immature stages of the beetle. The results obtained show insecticidal effect of both ethyl oleate and A. calamus oil; however, A. calamus oil proved to be more toxic to the adults at all the concentrations tested in comparison to the ethyl oleate oil. As the concentration of the oils decreased, the percentage mortality decreased. The obtained results concentrated on biological efficacy of the oils tested against the adults. Both oils affected the longevities of both male and female C. maculatus adults in comparison to the control. The oviposition periods of the adult female were affected significantly in comparison to the control. A. calamus oil prohibited oviposition completely at high concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0% and caused complete sterility to the females. Lower concentrations decreased the oviposition period greatly and reduced the number of eggs laid in comparison to the control. Ethyl oleate had an inconsiderable latent effect on the incubation period as well as the percentage of hatching of the resulting eggs. A. calamus oil decreased the percentage of egg hatchability with serious increase in the percent sterility. The two tested oils had slight extension in either larval or pupal stage of the resulting progeny of C. maculatus. Both oils show oviposition deterrency towards C. maculatus adults. The oviposition deterrent index was 100% when mung bean seeds were treated with A. calamus oil. The bruchid females laid all eggs on control seeds and no eggs were laid on treated seeds.     

绿豆象幼虫虫龄的划分及末龄幼虫头部形态和感器观察

【目的】明确绿豆象Callosobruchus chinensis幼虫的龄期,了解其末龄幼虫头部感受器的种类、形态和分布。【方法】测量绿豆象幼虫体长、头壳宽和上颚宽,根据所得数据的频次分布图、关系拟合结果和戴氏法则确定绿豆象最佳分龄指标,明确幼虫虫龄数,并利用Crosby生长法则和线性回归的方法进行验证;采用扫描电镜对末龄幼虫头部形态及感受器进行观察。【结果】绿豆象体长、头壳宽和上颚宽的频次分布均呈显著的4个峰,因此推断绿豆象幼虫为4个虫龄。各龄的体长变幅分别为1.581～2.556, 2.406～3.381, 3.381～4.281和4.206～4.881 mm,头壳宽度变幅分别为0.444～0.689, 0.654～0.934, 0.934～1.179和1.144～1.389 mm,上颚宽变幅分别为0.080～0.256, 0.234～0.344, 0.322～0.542和0.542～0.652 mm。体长、头壳宽和上颚宽均符合戴氏法则和Crosby生长法则,并呈现明显的线性关系,因此体长、头壳宽和上颚宽可作为绿豆象幼虫龄期划分的重要指标。头壳宽的Crosby指数均小于体长和上颚宽的Crosby指数,且头壳宽与体长测量值的对数值与幼虫龄期的相关系数要优于上颚宽测量值的对数值与幼虫龄期的相关系数,因此可将头壳宽作为最佳分龄指标。绿豆象末龄幼虫头部感器共有锥形感器、毛形感器、瓶形感器、刺形感器、板形感器、栓锥形感器和坛形感器7种感器,主要分布于触角、下颚须、上唇和上颚。【结论】绿豆象幼虫分龄形态指标和头部形态观察为研究其行为活动及综合防治提供理论基础。     

The evolution of harm--effect of sexual conflicts and population size

Conflicts of interest between mates can promote the evolution of male traits that reduce female fitness and that drive coevolution between the sexes. The rate of adaptation depends on the intensity of selection and its efficiency, which depends on drift and genetic variability. This leads to the largely untested prediction that coevolutionary adaptations such as those driven by sexual conflict should evolve faster in large populations. We tested this using the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, a species where harm inflicted by males is well documented. Although most experimental evolution studies remove sexual conflict, we reintroduced it in populations in which it had been experimentally removed. Both population size and standing genetic variability were manipulated in a factorial experimental design. After 90 generations of relaxed conflict (monogamy), the reintroduction of sexual conflicts for 30 generations favored males that harmed females and females that were more resistant to the genital damage inflicted by males. Males evolved to become more harmful when population size was large rather than when initial genetic variation was enriched. Our study shows that sexual selection can create conditions in which males can benefit from harming females and that selection may tend to be more intense and effective in larger populations.     

Additional notes on Anisopteromalus sp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), the sibling species of a parasitic wasp of stored‐product pests,Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard): A new alternative host,an eye color mutant and DNA barcodes

A parasitic wasp of stored‐product pests, Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard), is known to have a sibling species with a different chromosome number. Here, we report establishment and characterization of an eye color mutant in this sibling species. The phenotype of the mutant is red eye in adults, and crossing experiments revealed that the mutant phenotype is recessive to wild type (brown eye color). We also report DNA barcode sequences (a partial sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome‐c oxidase subunit I) of A. calandrae and the sibling species to enable accurate identification of these morphologically similar species. Analyses of our laboratory strains showed that 12.6% of the analyzed sequences (82 of 652 bp) differed between the two species. Finally, we note that the seed beetle Callosobruchus chinensis (Linné) (family Bruchidae), host of our laboratory strains of the sibling species, is a new record of alternative host at the family‐level for the wasp (known hosts: Anobiidae (natural host) and Curculionidae (alternative host)).     

Metapopulation dynamics of a diadromous galaxiid fish and potential effects of salmonid aquaculture

1. Direct ecological effects of biological invasions have been widely documented, but indirect genetic effects on native species are poorly known. In many cases, this is because of the lack of information on the genetic structure of species affected by invasions. 2. We used microsatellite DNA loci to estimate the genetic structure and gene flow patterns of Galaxias maculatus, a galaxiid fish endemic to the southern hemisphere, which is increasingly being threatened by salmonid invasions. 3. Analysis of nine diadromous populations of G. maculatus in Chilean Patagonia (an area heavily impacted by farming of non‐native salmonids) indicates that dispersal is mostly a passive process, seemingly driven by wind and currents and resulting in high gene flow and weak population structuring. 4. Gene flow was asymmetrical, with three populations acting as sources and six populations acting as sinks. Sinks had lower habitat quality and had a greater incidence of adults than sources, which consisted mostly of juveniles. 5. Rivers invaded by salmonid escapees experienced significantly higher aquaculture pressure than rivers where salmonid escapees were apparently absent, but no effect on genetic diversity of G. maculatus could be detected. 6. We discuss whether salmonid aquaculture might affect the demography and connectivity of galaxiid metapopulations: indirectly through habitat alteration and directly through escapes of predatory fish.     

Deterrent activity of plant lectins on cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) oviposition

A set of 14 plant lectins was screened in a binary choice bioassay for inhibitory activity on cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) oviposition. Coating of chickpea seeds (Cicer arietinum L.) with a 0.05% (w/v) solution of plant lectins caused a significant reduction in egg laying. Control experiments with heat inactivated lectin and BSA indicated that the observed deterrent effects are specific and require carbohydrate-binding activity. However, no clear correlation could be established between deterrent activity and sugar-binding specificity/molecular structure of the lectins. Increasing the insect density reduced the inhibitory effect of the lectins confirming that female insects are capable of adjusting their oviposition rates as a function of host availability.