Host influence on mating behavior and spermatophore reception correlated with reproductive output and longevity of femaleEarias insulana (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

When mating and oviposition behavior ofEarias insulana were studied in the absence or presence of host or by providing only host odor, in comparison to other treatments host absence caused a delayed and reduced reproductive activity with occasional impairment of egg viability. Presence of host or its odor resulted in a short premating period and a significant increase in mating frequency, number of spermatophores transferred, number of eggs oviposited, and proportion of eggs fertilized. Compared to host odor, host accessibility had a larger impact on insect behavior, indicating the importance of host cantact. Under conditions of host accessibility, there existed a significant and positive correlation between the number of spermatophores received by a female and both the number of eggs she oviposited and her longevity. This indicated a role for male-derived nutrients in the reproduction ofE. insulana.     

Rhythmicity of mating and oviposition inCallosobruchus subinnotatus (Pic) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Mating and oviposition behaviors were studied inCallosobruchus subinnotatus. Copulation was most frequent during the late scotophase, 2–3 h before onset of photophase. The females were less willing to mate during photophase, which increased the time to initiate mating while decreasing the duration of mating. Females exhibited increased movement prior to mating, resting immediately after mating, and remained stationary for 6 h when oviposition commenced. Multiple mating by both males and females affected the number of eggs laid, duration of mating, and uncoupling time at the end of mating. Females that mated two or three times laid more eggs than females that mated once or more than three times. Females that remainedin copula for less than 18 min showed greater readiness to remate than those that remainedin copula longer. There was a gradual decrease in the number of eggs females could lay with an increase in the number of previous matings by males.     

Modulation of Flight Activity in Lobesia botrana Den. & Schiff. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Females Studied in a Wind Tunnel

We studied modulations of flight activity in European grapevine moth females (EGVM) by individual observations in a wind tunnel. The effect of different factors was analyzed: variation in atmospheric pressure prior to the experiments, time of day, first experience of flight, age, mating, and odor of tansy, which attracts females. The circadian flight activity showed a peak the hour preceding the onset of scotophase and sustained activity occurred during the 6 h around this peak. Females with a flight experience in the tunnel took off more quickly than naive ones (3.9 ± 7.4 vs 20.3 ± 22.8 s). Three-day-old unmated females subjected to negative variations of atmospheric pressure (10 hPa) during the 4 h prior to the experiments increased their duration of flight (12.1 ± 8.7 vs 5.3 ± 3.4 s) compared to those not subjected to variation. One-day-old females were less active than older ones; flight was shorter than in 2-day-old females (2.7 ± 6.7 vs 5.1 ± 9.5 s) and fewer of them took off (28 vs 63%). Mating also affected the flight activity of 2-day-old females; mated females flew longer than virgins (12 ± 16.8 vs 5.1 ± 9.5 s) and took off more quickly (6.5 ± 14.4 vs 19.3 ± 20.1 s). Tansy odor in the tunnel did not significantly affect the flight behavior of virgin females, but it increased the proportion of mated females that initiated flight (87 vs 70%) and duration of flight (11.2 ± 24.4 vs 7.2 ± 13.7 s), and it reduced the latency to takeoff (2.1 ± 7.4 vs 8.1 ± 19.1 s). Flight duration in tansy odor was inversely correlated with the total number of eggs laid during the female's whole life. Our experimental settings did not allow observation of movements directed toward the odor source.     

Choices and Consequences of Oviposition by Hylemya (Delia) Sp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)

Hylema sp. ⁵ females oviposit on the undersides of sepals of developing buds of both Ipomopsis aggregata and Polemonium foliosissimum. Eggs deposited on the latter are significantly more likely to be fully protected by the sepal than are eggs deposited on the former. Unexposed eggs have a significantly greater likelihood of successfully developing to the larval stage than do exposed eggs. The difference in frequency of egg exposure on the two plant species can be attributed to differences in sepal morphology: I. aggregata sepals are significantly narrower than those of P. foliosissimum. The hypothesis that females preferentially oviposit on larger flowers was unconfirmed by a manipulative choice experiment. Plants differing in the size of their flowers were potted together and presented to Hylemya in arrays in the field. Flowers of the larger-flowered pair were no more likely to be oviposited on than flowers of the smaller-flowered pair. However, there were significant negative correlations between the corolla length and the percentage of flowers laid on per day at each of two sites. There was also a significant positive correlation between the corolla width and the percentage of flowers laid on at one site. Thus females appear to be using some measure of flower morphology, or a correlated trait, in making oviposition decisions. The degree to which Hylemya is making suboptimal choices between host plant species is discussed and requires further examination.     

Relative performance of European grapevine moth (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lobesia botrana</Emphasis>) on grapes and other hosts

The European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana is a major grapevine pest, but despite the abundance of vineyards it is a generalist and uses either grapes or alternative species. Given the abundance and predictability of grape, L. botrana could be expected to have evolved towards monophagy. In order to understand why this species remains polyphagous, we hypothesized that larvae reared on rare wild host plants should have higher fitness than those reared on the more abundant grape host. For this, we compared larval performance and several life history traits on three alternative host plants (Daphne gnidium, Olea europaea, Tanacetum vulgare) and three Vitaceae (Vitis vinifera), two cultivars and one wild species (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata), and two control groups raised on either a low or a high nutritive value medium. Alternative hosts are more suitable than Vitaceae for the reproductive performance of L. botrana: larval mortality and development time was reduced, while pupal weight, growth rate, female longevity, female fecundity, duration of laying and mating success were increased. High quality food ingested by larvae promotes higher adult body weight and enhances female reproductive output. This suggests that alternative hosts provide greater nutritional value for L. botrana than Vitaceae. The use of alternative host plants could thus be maintained in the host range because they offer L. botrana a better fitness than on the Vitaceae. This could typically represent an advantage for moths behaving in plant diversity grape landscapes.     

Pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus) oviposition and feeding preference on different host plant species

The oviposition and feeding preferences of the pollen beetle, Meligethes aeneus, were determined in choice and no-choice tests in field, semi-field and greenhouse trials. Plant species used were Brassica napus, B. campestris, B. juncea, B. nigra, B. carinata, Sinapis alba and Crambe abyssinica. With respect to number of eggs laid, S. alba and C. abyssinica were inferior to the other species. Pollen beetles laid fewer eggs on B. nigra than on the other Brassica spp. in no-choice tests, however this difference was partly due to fewer eggs laid per bud rather than fewer buds used for oviposition. Most eggs, for all plant species, were deposited in buds sized 2–3 mm. Feeding damage on all plant species was relatively similar. Pollen beetles seem to have a wider host range for feeding than for oviposition. There was good agreement in plant species ranking as oviposition hosts between the field, semi-field and greenhouse trials.     

Influence of Host Plant Structure and Microclimate on the Abundance and Behavior of a Tephritid Fly

Microclimate and host plant architecture significantly influence the abundance and behavior of insects. However, most research in this field has focused at the invertebrate assemblage level, with few studies at the single-species level. Using wild Solanum mauritianum plants, we evaluated the influence of plant structure (number of leaves and branches and height of plant) and microclimate (temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity) on the abundance and behavior of a single insect species, the monophagous tephritid fly Bactrocera cacuminata (Hering). Abundance and oviposition behavior were signficantly influenced by the host structure (density of foliage) and associated microclimate. Resting behavior of both sexes was influenced positively by foliage density, while temperature positively influenced the numbers of resting females. The number of ovipositing females was positively influenced by temperature and negatively by relative humidity. Feeding behavior was rare on the host plant, as was mating. The relatively low explanatory power of the measured variables suggests that, in addition to host plant architecture and associated microclimate, other cues (e.g., olfactory or visual) could affect visitation and use of the larval host plant by adult fruit flies. For 12 plants observed at dusk (the time of fly mating), mating pairs were observed on only one tree. Principal component analyses of the plant and microclimate factors associated with these plants revealed that the plant on which mating was observed had specific characteristics (intermediate light intensity, greater height, and greater quantity of fruit) that may have influenced its selection as a mating site.     

Oviposition choice by the Onopordum capitulum weevil Larinus latus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its effect on the survival of immature stages

Female Larinus latus lay eggs into the capitula of their Onopordum spp. host plants from the onset of capitulum development until the completion of flowering. This tight linkage between insect life-history and plant development optimised larval survival, apart from some initial asynchrony between the readiness of the females to oviposit and the suitability of the very small capitula to physically support eggs. Eggs were laid on bracts and stems of capitula or directly in the florets, when these became available. Both the location of the egg and time of oviposition influenced mortality factors such as egg and larval parasitism, egg desiccation and larval establishment. Overall, survival of eggs laid later in the season into florets was higher, although the adults that emerged were smaller. The change in choice of oviposition site that occurs at the onset of flowering, not only favours survival, but ensures more efficient resource use by the larvae. This occurs because sequential flowering of Onopordum spp. drives a sequential oviposition pattern and spreads the egg load more evenly over the available capitula, reversing a trend earlier in the season to clump eggs that were laid directly on the bracts. Other potential constraints, such as capitulum size, absolute egg density and previous egg-laying do not play a major role in determining the oviposition pattern of L. latus. Larval survival was positively correlated with capitulum size and not strongly influenced by egg density. Competition for resources only appeared to play a role in smaller capitula, and manifested itself in a reduction in the size of emerging adults rather than the death of immatures. In the absence of strong interspecific competition, the oviposition behavior of L. latus has become geared to maximising resource use for larvae (i.e. its own potential competitiveness) rather than minimising interactions with other members of the capitulum endophage guild.     

Oviposition behavior of the cabbage root fly,Delia radicum (L.), influenced by host plant extracts

An ethanolic extract of cabbage leaves (Brassica oleraceavar. capitata,Golden Acre)and derived fractions were tested on natural and surrogate leaves in order to study the oviposition behavior of the cabbage root fly Delia radicum(Diptera: Anthomyiidae). On surrogate plastic leaves coated with a thin layer of paraffin wax and treated with 0.1 gram leaf equivalent (gle) of an ethanolic raw cabbage extract, the females displayed the same sequence of behavioral patterns as on a natural host plant. The quantified oviposition behavior correlated well with the actual number of eggs laid. The extract-treated surrogate leaves received at least as many eggs as natural leaves with a similar surface area. Previous exposure to surrogate or natural leaves seemed not to induce a specific preference. The three fractions (hexane, butanol, and water) of the raw extract stimulated the oviposition behavior. This was taken as evidence for the presence of a multicomponent mixture or a chemical pattern in the cabbage leaves stimulating oviposition. At the tested concentration each fraction alone could stimulate in some individuals the complete behavior. No effect of volatile components of the raw extract could be detected. This is thought to be due to the extraction procedure, which limits the production of attractive, volatile compounds, such as isothiocyanates.     

Oviposition site selection in Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera): constraints and compromises

Summary Oviposition by Cactoblastis cactorum on Opuntia ficus-indica and O. aurantiaca was assessed from the positioning of egg sticks on plants in the field. The number of egg sticks laid on O. ficus-indica plants was affected by: (1) plant size; (2) moth emergence near the plant; (3) cladode condition; and (4) plant conspicuousness. These factors contributed towards the clumping of egg sticks on plants. There was no apparent oviposition preference for one of the two host plant species despite the fact that egg predation was higher and fecundity lower on O. aurantiaca. The selection of a site for oviposition on the host plants was influenced by: (1) cladode condition; (2) height above ground; and (3) shelter from wind during oviposition. Succulent cladodes were the favoured sites for oviposition. The evidence suggests that in C. cactorum, oviposition site selection is largely the net result of a compromise between oviposition behaviour selected for increasing the probability of juvenile survival and oviposition behaviour selected for increasing the probability of laying the full complement of eggs. In addition, environmental and physiological factors such as wind and wing-loading, are thought to place constraints on the range of sites available for oviposition.     

Changes in the behavior of the female short-tailed cricket,Anurogryllus muticus (De Geer) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) following mating

InAnurogryllus muticus females, mating stimulates burrow construction, burrow provisioning, feeding, egg production, and egg-laying. Since mating often occurs before the ovaries are fully developed, the time span between mating and oviposition is used for increased food intake and the accumulation of nutrient reserves in the fatbody. Oviposition triggers maternal care of eggs and emerging hatchlings, and blocks egg consumption. Hatchling behavior is investigated. When hatchlings eat eggs, they prefer newly laid over older, embryonic eggs.     

Behavioral responses of female oriental fruit flies to the odor of papayas at three ripeness stages in a laboratory flight tunnel (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Behavioral responses of adult female oriental fruit flies, Dacus dorsalisHendel, to the odor of papayas from three ripeness classes were studied using a threechoice flight tunnel bioassay. Laboratoryreared flies were allowed to respond freely to any of three papaya odors (mature green, colorbreak to one-fourth ripe, and one-half to full ripe) emanating from identical (spherical) fruit models. Five behaviors were measured in assessing the fly's relative attraction to the odors (number of landings), arrestment (total fly seconds on sphere), fly-fly interactions on the fruit model (maximum and modal fly density), and acceptance for oviposition (total eggs laid). Females showed no significant difference in total fly landings based on all age classes combined. Significant differences were noted among age classes. Females spent more total time on the sphere and showed a higher maximum density and modal fly density to ripe fruit than to green fruit odors. Ovipositional acceptance of fruit models based on the total number of eggs laid in a sphere was greater in response to the ripefruit odor than to the other two odor classes. Olfactorystimulated behavioral responses of females to the odor of ripe papayas were significantly different from the other ripeness classes for all behaviors at 8 days postemergence and then declined in 11-day-old flies. Behavioral responses were greater during the afternoon than in the morning. Observations of wild oriental fruit flies to papayas in the field indicated a preference for residing on riper fruit. The results of this study are discussed with regard to the role of olfactory inputs generated by the odor of ripening fruit on female attraction and oviposition behavior resulting in infestation of papayas by oriental fruit fly.     

Floral biology of Aristolochia argentina (Aristolochiaceae)

The floral biology of Aristolochia argentina (Aristolochiaceae) was studied in natural populations in Córdoba, Argentina. This native vine has flowers that attract mainly scuttle fly pollinators of the genus Megaselia (Phoridae). The trap-like perianth is formed by a limb, a tube, and a basal utricle. The limb produces an odor that recalls decaying plant tissues, which apparently mimics the natural oviposition substrate of the flies. The insects stay entrapped inside the utricle for approximately 24 h, making contact with the sexual organs of the flower. When released, they can become captured again in other flowers. The mechanisms of herkogamy and protogyny are efficient. Although self-compatibility exists, as demonstrated by the high percentage of fruits produced by geitonogamy, fruits were not produced under natural or artificial autogamous conditions. Natural pollination showed significantly lower fruit set than xenogamous and geitonogamous crosses.     

The remarkable weevil pollination of the neotropicalCarludovicoideae (Cyclanthaceae)

Further evidence for a specialized plant-pollinator relationship in the weevil pollinatedCarludovicoideae (Cyclanthaceae) is presented, with emphasis on the previously uninvestigated genusSphaeradenia. Weevils use the carludovicoid inflorescence for feeding, shelter, mating, and oviposition, the last-mentioned activity in the usually caducous staminate flowers. While visiting the inflorescence, they effect pollination. Adaptations, advantages, and consequences for this sophisticated system, both of the plants and pollinators, are discussed.     

Effects of carbaryl and cyhexatin on survival and reproductive behaviour of Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The effects of carbaryl, an insecticide and an abscission agent, and cyhexatin, an acaricide, on the survival, reproductive behaviour and subsequent egg hatch and larval migration of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., were investigated under laboratory conditions. Dilution series starting with the concentration recommended for high volume application in the field were evenly sprayed in plastic cups. Depending on the concentration used, both pesticides resulted in high adult mortality, males being more susceptible. Although the total number of the eggs laid by C. pomonella females was significantly reduced in most treatments, the females exposed to different residues of carbaryl laid significantly more eggs during the first 24 h of exposure. This was not the case for cyhexatin. While in all treatments almost 50% of the eggs were laid on the side of the cups, the spatial distribution of the eggs laid under the lid and on the floor was concentration dependent. With one exception, continuous exposure of the moths to carbaryl significantly reduced the number of spermatophores per female. Less than one spermatophore per female was transferred at the highest four concentrations of carbaryl and the highest three concentrations of cyhexatin; whereas, the number of spermatophores per female amounted to about four per female for the other treatments. In contrast to carbaryl, which exhibited a high ovicidal effect at all concentrations, the ovicidal activity of cyhexatin was low. This was manifested in a high rate of egg hatch and the extent of embryonic development in most of the treatments. Furthermore, while carbaryl killed the newly-hatched larvae at all concentrations, cyhexatin acted as a larvicide at the highest two concentrations only.     

Imperfect oviposition decisions by the pitcher plant mosquito (Wyeomyia smithii)

Summary Wyeomyia smithii mosquitoes distribute their eggs across available oviposition sites (water-holding pitcher plant leaves) of varying quality. I experimentally examined responses to three components of site quality: conspecific larval density, larval density of the pitcher plant midge,Metriocnemus knabi, and pitcher size. Responses to larval treatments were complex and apparently suboptimal. Although mosquito larval performance is better in leaves with fewer conspecific and more midge larvae, females did not lay more eggs in such pitchers. Instead, more eggs were laid in experimental pitchers containing either midge or mosquito larvae, but fewer eggs in pitchers with neither or both. More eggs were laid in larger pitchers, which tend to accumulate more resources and dry out less often. Therefore, although the oviposition decisions made were suboptimal, they were better than random.     

Reinforcement mechanisms of olfactory conditioning during parasitization by the parasitoidBrachymeria intermedia (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae)

Through a single oviposition experience on their natural host in presence of vanilla odor, femaleBrachymeria intermedia were induced to drum and drill in a vanilla-scented artificial host. We examined which behaviors in the oviposition sequence mediated this conditioning: conditioning was most successful when odor exposure coincided with oviposition. Wasps were also conditioned when exposure to odor coincided with preoviposition drumming on the host, if drumming was followed by oviposition, and when exposure to odor coincided with drilling in an empty pupal case. Evidently, conditioning occurred through the formation of an association between the odor and the aroused state underlying host acceptance. These results support the hypothesis that conditioning occurs through a stimulus-arousal association rather than, as is generally assumed, through a stimulus-stimulus association.     

Lifetime egg production and egg mortality in the damselflyPyrrhosoma nymphula (Sulzer) (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae)

Artificial oviposition sites were used to estimate egg deposition rates in the field. Females laid an average of 10.76 eggs/minute with a mean duration of 22.81 minutes, giving an average clutch size of 245 eggs. Since one mating corresponded to one clutch of eggs, lifetime mating success was used as a measure of the number of clutches produced. Mean lifetime clutch production was 5.91 clutches per female, equating to 1447 eggs per female per lifetime. Eggs were hatched in the laboratory at temperatures comparable with those in the field. Hatching was highly synchronised and the overall hatching success was 75.1%. Causes of egg mortality in the laboratory were limited to infertility and unhatchability. Since no other sources of egg mortality could be found at the study site, this value was a good reflection of hatching success in the field. Lifetime egg production and hatching success were used to estimate the number of viable offspring produced per female, giving a higher order estimate of reproductive success than has previously been published for a zygopteran.     

椰子木蛾的产卵节律及其对寄主植物的产卵选择性

【背景】椰子木蛾是近年来新入侵我国棕榈科植物的害虫,研究其产卵习性可为监测和防治该虫提供参考。【方法】在室内条件下,观察、记录了椰子木蛾雌成虫的产卵节律及其对不同寄主植物的产卵选择性。【结果】椰子木蛾最高日产卵量可达34.4粒·头-1,且主要集中在羽化后4 d内产卵,占总产卵量的54.1%;产卵活动主要发生在夜间23:00到次日8:00;在椰子、蒲葵、大王棕、槟榔和散尾葵等寄主植物上的产卵量无显著差异,为89.3~147.7粒·头-1,但产卵位置存在差别。【结论与意义】椰子木蛾雌成虫具有较强的繁殖能力和产卵节律性,且在不同寄主植物上的产卵量一致。     

Diapause dynamics, seasonal phenology, and pupal color dimorphism of Papilio polyxenes in southern Florida, USA

In the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), it has recently been shown that volatiles emitted from the main host plant, grapevine, are attractive to adult females. Here, using wind tunnel experiments, we tested the attractiveness of various grapevine, Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae), plant parts at different phenological stages, including ripe berries infested with the pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea (Persoon: Fries) (Sclerotiniaceae) to laboratory‐reared virgin and mated male and female moths. We also tested the attractiveness of the non‐host plant, tansy [Tanacetum vulgare (L.) (Asteraceae)], as flowers and flower volatiles were previously shown to be attractive to L. botrana females in the field. Mated female moths were the only adults to exhibit upwind orientation to grape plant parts in the flight tunnel. The most attractive parts of the grapevine plants were leaves, flower buds, and ripe berries. No attraction was observed to flowers. This corresponds to the phenological stages available when females of the 2–3 generations during a year are present in the field. No attraction was observed to leaves and flowers of tansy.