Egg laying preference of Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) among primary and secondary hosts

Sesamia nonagrioides Lefébvre (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has a fairly wide range of host plants. The present study tests the egg-laying preference of S. nonagrioides on four potential host plants (maize, sweet and fiber sorghum and johnsongrass) with respect to several life history traits. No-choice and two-choice tests in all possible combinations were conducted. Concerning no-choice tests, significantly higher number of eggs were laid on sweet sorghum (282.5 eggs/female) in relation to the other tested plants. Moreover, viability of eggs that were laid on sweet sorghum was significantly higher in relation to those that were laid on johnsongrass. Longevity of females reared on maize plants was significantly greater compared with the other test plants except johnsongrass. Furthermore, pre-oviposition period of females reared on maize was significantly longer (2.4-fold) compared with that on sweet sorghum and johnsongrass. Similarly post-oviposition period of females reared on maize was significantly longer compared with that on fiber sorghum. On two choice tests significantly fewer eggs were laid on sweet sorghum than on maize. On the other hand, significantly more eggs were laid on sweet sorghum than on fiber sorghum and johnsongrass. We discuss the potential of secondary hosts to be used as trap plants.     

Fitness costs of butterfly oviposition on a lethal non-native plant in a mixed native and non-native plant community

Non-native plants may be unpalatable or toxic, but have oviposition cues similar to native plants used by insects. The herbivore will then oviposit on the plant, but the offspring will be unable to develop. While such instances have been described previously, the fitness costs at the population level in the wild due to the presence of the lethal host have not been quantified, for this or other related systems. We quantified the fitness cost in the field for the native butterfly Pieris macdunnoughii in the presence of the non-native crucifer Thlaspi arvense, based on the spatial distributions of host plants, female butterflies and eggs in the habitat and the survival of the larvae in the wild. We found that 2.9 % of eggs were laid on T. arvense on average, with a survival probability of 0, yielding a calculated fitness cost of 3.0 % (95 % confidence interval 1.7–3.6 %) due to the presence of the non-native in the plant community. Survival probability to the pre-pupal stage for eggs laid on two native crucifers averaged 1.6 % over 2 years. The magnitude of the fitness cost will vary temporally and spatially as a function of the relative abundance of the non-native plant. We propose that the fine-scale spatial structure of the plant community relative to the butterflies’ dispersal ability, combined with the females’ broad habitat use, contributes to the fitness costs associated with the non-native plant and the resulting evolutionary trap.     

Reproductive Behavior of the Bug <Emphasis Type="Italic">Molipteryx fuliginosa</Emphasis> Uhler (Heteroptera,Coreidae) in the South of the Russian Far East

Reproductive behavior of Molipteryx fuliginosa (Uhler) was investigated in Primorskii Territory of Russia. From 4 to 18 repeated copulations of one female lasting from 2 to 48 hours were recorded in cages. The behavior of ovipositing females and the stages of oviposition are described for the first time. The number of eggs laid between copulations varied from 1 to 13, the number of oviposition acts, from 4 to 11, and the total female fecundity, from 21 to 38 eggs. Caged females laid eggs on plants and also on dead substrates unsuitable for nymphal feeding, such as cloth, dry branches, and a wooden pole. Copulation of M. fuliginosa was also observed under natural conditions. The preferred mating places of M. fuliginosa in anthropogenically modified habitats and in small-leaved riparian forests were plants of Rubus idaeus L., R. caesius L., and Rubus sp. After mating, females migrated in search of places for oviposition. Single eggs were found on the following plants not known previously as hosts of this bug: Solanum lycopersicum L., Carex sp., Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski, and Taraxacum officinale Wigg. The females seemed to lack selectivity in the choice of place for oviposition, which was not always associated with host plants, despite their abundance and availability.     

Egg size manipulation in the migrant skipper, Parnara guttata guttata (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), in response to different host plants

Female adults of the migrant skipper, Parnara guttata guttata, lay different-sized eggs on different host plants in different generations. Moreover, P. g. guttata maintains large egg size variation either in the population or in the individual. Why such phenotypic plasticity in egg size is maintained has not been clarified. In the present study we performed a series of experiments to verify whether or not females of P. g. guttata discriminate between the different host plants, i.e., rice plant Oriza sativa in the first and second generations and cogon grass Imperata cylindrica in the third (overwintering) generation and manipulate egg size accordingly on these host plants. When a caged female was allowed to lay eggs alternatively on soft-leafed rice plant and tough-leafed cogon grass, the size of the eggs laid on cogon grass was significantly larger than that on rice plant. When a caged female was allowed to lay eggs on the two host plants that were supplied on alternate days, the size of eggs laid on cogon grass was also significantly larger than that on rice plant. A preliminary experiment using crude extract from the plants suggested that females did not manipulate egg size in response to chemical stimulants alone. The skipper female was able to lay different-sized eggs instantaneously after assessing the host plant. However, the reaction norm to different host plants differed among females. Eggs of various sizes were matured in each ovariole, and egg size variation at the lowest part of the ovariole ranged from the size of the larger eggs laid on cogon grass to that of the smaller eggs laid on rice plant, although how the female chose the appropriate-sized egg at each occasion is unknown.     

Reproductive characteristics ofPseudoperichaeta nigrolineata (Dipt., tachinidae), parasitoid ofOstrinia nubilalis (Lep., pyralidae)

The ovolarviparous tachinid flyPseudoperichaeta nigrolineata Walker is a larval parasitoid of the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner. A study of the behaviours of gravid females and the kairomones that influence these behaviours led us to quantify several biological characteristics of these females. The females were observed from the moment they became gravid. They were placed in the presence of a corn-caterpillar complex that was changed three times per 24-hour period. Parasitoids lived an average of 8.5 more days. From emergence, the mean longevity was 24 days and the maximum, 39 days. The ovolarviposition period of the sample lasted a total of 12 days. However, the actual number of days of ovolarviposition per female averaged 6.9. The number of days between the end of ovolarviposition and death varies, but 69% of females laid eggs until their death. All the females ovolarviposited; some laid eggs regularly (59%) and others with interruptions (41%). Total mean ovolarviposition per female was 83 maggots, with extremes of 15 and 231 maggots. Thirty percent of the females laid eggs between 30 and 60 planidia. Variability was high for all characteristics studied. Results obtained are discussed with reference to other tachinids and the experimental conditions used.     

Does insect mother know under what conditions it will make their offspring live?

According to the optimal oviposition theory, the larval success of insects depends on the oviposition site selection by females. Females are expected to choose a site with many resources and few competitors or predators to allow the best performance for their progeny, assuming that “mother knows best.” However, this is not systematically observed. The Aphidoletes aphidimyza larvae are generalist aphid predators and females consequently lay their eggs near or inside aphid colonies. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of intraspecific competition on oviposition behavior of A. aphidimyza females. First, we counted the number of eggs laid by a female on a leaf with 20 aphids, in the presence of 0, 2, 4, or 6 conspecific eggs or in the absence of eggs but in presence of 3 virgin females. The same experiment was also performed under choice condition with 2 oviposition sites. Our results show that the presence of low densities of conspecific eggs, or the presence of conspecific females, have no significant impact on the number of eggs laid by A. aphidimyza females. One of the hypotheses advanced to explain these results is the advantages of conspecifics presence. At low densities, the presence of eggs on an oviposition site can indicate the suitability of the site for the females. The conspecific presence can also insure a dilution effect against predator and increase the presence of potential mating partners for this monogenic species.     

Host plant conspicuousness and the distribution of eggs and larvae in the butterfly,Anthocharis scolymus (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

We investigated how the distribution pattern of eggs and larval on the host plant, Turritus glabra, was influenced by the oviposition behavior of the pierid butterfly Anthocharis scolymus. Females searched for the host plants visually and they frequently approached taller host plants with sparse surrounding vegetation. After encountering host plants, oviposition behavior of females was independent of host plant characteristics such as height, density, and type of surrounding vegetation. A female laid eggs singly on a host plants. Most females appeared to lay their eggs regardless of the presense of eggs on the host plant. Consequently egg and larva tended to be abundant on conspicuous host plants as measured by height or relative isolation from other plants. However, overcrowding of eggs on an individual host decreased the survival rate of larvae.     

Fecundity and egg distribution of the herbivore Spodoptera pectinicornis as influenced by quality of the floating aquatic plant Pistia stratiotes

We determined the influence of larval host quality of the floating aquatic weed Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae) on the fecundity and egg distribution of the biological control agent Spodoptera pectinicornis (Hampson) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Different nutritional levels were produced by growing plants with relatively low and high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Female and male pupal biomass were significantly greater when the larvae were fed leaves from the high fertilizer plants. Although the fertilizer treatments did not significantly influence total fecundity, there was an indirect effect as adults from larger pupae were more fecund. Regardless of treatment, ovipositing females formed a depression in the leaf surface by removing trichomes into which they deposited the egg masses. Most of the egg masses were laid on the lower leaf surface, on leaf positions 5–8 (counting from the young inner to the outer leaves) and during days 1–2 post-eclosion. Most of the eggs were laid in masses but about 12% were solitary. Females fed the low fertilizer treatment laid a greater proportion (mean ± s.e.) of their eggs as solitary eggs (17.3 ± 3.4% of total eggs) than did females fed the high fertilizer treatment (8.3 ± 2.3% of total eggs). The increased percentage of solitary eggs laid by the females from the low quality larval diet may be an adaptive response to decrease competition among the progeny.     

Ovipositional biology of Viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Pyrrhalta viburni Paykull, a new landscape pest in the United States, feeds in both the larval and adult stages on foliage of plants in the genus Viburnum. We measured lifetime oviposition capacity of mated and unmated females reared in the laboratory versus field-collected females, as well as ovipositional response to physical characteristics of the host plant. Both mated and unmated females produced eggs, but at different rates. Field-collected females and mated females reared in the laboratory laid similar numbers of egg masses containing similar numbers of eggs, but unmated females laid approximately one half as many eggs, the result primarily of smaller clutch size. Mated females reared in the laboratory had a preovipositional period of 11.4 +/- 1.7 versus 29 + 11.7 d for unmated females, and unmated females lived significantly longer than mated females. The angle and diameter of stems of V. trilobum, a very susceptible host, both greatly influenced oviposition; females laid most eggs on vertically oriented stems, and those of smallest diameter; when these factors were combined, stem diameter predominated. Females also had a very strong geotactic response, preferring to lay eggs on portions of stems toward gravity, even when stems were at fairly shallow angles.     

The effects of mating, age at mating, and plant stimuli, on the lifetime fecundity and fertility of the generalist herbivore Epiphyas postvittana

The effects of mating, age at mating, the presence or absence of a plant leaf, and the deprivation of a suitable ovipositional substrate during when the first ovipositional bout after mating would normally take place, on the lifetime fecundity and fertility (percentage of fertile eggs laid) of female Epiphyas postvittana were investigated. Mating had a significant effect on lifetime fecundity, with mated females laying 2.5 times more eggs than virgin females. Age at mating had a significant effect on both fecundity and fertility, both declining with increasing age when the female was mated. In the presence of a leaf of C. japonica, mated females had a greater lifetime fecundity than when no leaf was present; females in the presence of a C. japonica leaf consistently laid more eggs each day during the first 4–6 days after mating than females without a leaf. When females were deprived of a suitable ovipositional substrate, for the first 22 h after mating, they were significantly less fecund over their lifetime than were control females. Finally, in no-choice tests with three plants of different acceptability to females, the fecundity of females differed in the order C. japonica > Urtica ferox > Tibouchina multiflora. This different fecundity appeared to be inversely related to the pubescence of the leaves, suggesting that leaf texture may be a suitable antixenotic resistance factor for crops to be protected from this insect. These results suggest that strategies whereby mating is delayed or oviposition reduced within a critical period after mating, may result in significant reductions in pest populations.     

Egg Deposition Behavior in the Haplodiploid Sawfly Athalia rosae ruficornis Jakovlev (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Tenthredinidae)

The egg deposition behavior of the turnip sawfly, Athalia rosae (Hymenoptera: Symphyta), is described. Both unmated and mated females lay eggs individually inside of fresh young leaves of cruciferous plants. During an oviposition event, females exhibit a distinct pause in abdominal contractions just before the actual egg deposition act. Unmated females show a longer pause (11.31 s on average) than mated females (4.38 s on overall average). By employing an eye color mutation, the sex of the eggs laid by females was ascertained. Females mated once lay mostly fertilized (diploid female) eggs initially but begin to lay a considerable number of unfertilized (haploid male) eggs later in life. The laying of an unfertilized egg is associated with a longer pause (6.98 s on average) than the laying of a fertilized egg (3.76 s on average). These results are in contrast to previous reports on apocritan Hymenoptera, where the presence of a pause or a longer pause during oviposition was associated with the deposition of fertilized eggs rather than unfertilized eggs. The possibility that mated Athalia rosae females control fertilization and its implications for sex allocation strategies are discussed.     

Is juvenile hormone involved in the maternal regulation of egg size and progeny characteristics in the desert locust?

The role of juvenile hormone (JH) in the maternal regulation of progeny characteristics was examined in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. Female adults of this species are known to produce smaller but more eggs when reared in isolation than do those reared in a group. Eggs laid by isolated females develop green hatchlings typical of solitarious forms, whereas those laid by the latter produce black hatchlings typical of gregarious forms. Topical application of a juvenile hormone analog (JHA), fenoxycarb, or implantation of corpora allata (CA) taken from the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, caused crowded S. gregaria females to deposit smaller eggs, but did not have a significant effect on the number of eggs per egg pod except at high doses of JHA. The production of smaller eggs by treated and untreated crowded females was closely associated with earlier deposition of the egg pods and shorter oviposition intervals. However, neither JHA application nor CA implantation influenced the progeny characteristics in actively reproducing aged females under crowded conditions, while untreated control females started producing smaller and more eggs upon transfer to isolated conditions. These results may suggest that JH is not directly involved in the maternal regulation of phase-dependent progeny characteristics.     

Egg-laying tactic in Phyllomorpha laciniata in the presence of parasitoids

Female insects are expected to choose oviposition sites that have the best conditions for offspring development and survival. Natural enemies, such as predators and parasitoids, may have a strong influence on the selection of oviposition substrates by phytophagous insects. The golden egg bug, Phyllomorpha laciniata (Villers) (Heteroptera: Coreidae) has an unusual reproductive strategy. Females mainly use conspecifics, both males and other females, as egg-laying substrates, but occasionally they oviposit on plants as well. Survival of the eggs is higher when eggs are carried by conspecifics than when they are laid on plants, due to predation and parasitism. We investigated egg-laying behavior in the forced presence of the egg parasitoid Gryon bolivari (Giard) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Specifically, we studied whether females provide egg protection by avoiding oviposition under the risk of egg parasitization. We expected a lower oviposition rate under parasitoid presence, and the eggs, if any, to be placed preferably on conspecifics and not on plants, thus ensuring higher survival of the progeny. The results show that P. laciniata 's egg-laying rate was lower when they were enclosed with parasitoids than when parasitoids were absent, especially when plants were the only substrate to oviposit on. Moreover, females showed strong preference for laying eggs on conspecifics rather than on plants. Egg-laying in P. laciniata appears to be not only influenced by the availability of conspecifics, but also by the presence of egg parasitoids. This indicates that females may be able to detect G. bolivari and avoid oviposition when parasitoids are present. We discuss the possibility of conspecifics as enemy-free space.     

Cues for communal egg‐laying in lizards (Bassiana duperreyi,Scincidae)

Animals may aggregate either because the presence of conspecifics provides information about habitat suitability, or because the presence of conspecifics directly enhances individual viability. For a female lizard, the advantage of laying her eggs in a communal nest may entail either information transfer (hatched eggshells show that the site has been successful in previous seasons) or direct physiological benefits (recently‐laid eggs can enhance water availability to other eggs). We tested the relative importance of these two mechanisms in the three‐lined alpine skink (Bassiana duperreyi Gray, 1838) by offering gravid females a choice between sites with hatched eggshells versus freshly‐laid eggs. Females selectively oviposited beside fresh eggs. In this species, early‐nesting females use information transfer (i.e. the presence of old eggshells) as a nest‐site criterion, whereas later nesters switch to a reliance on direct benefits of conspecific presence (i.e. the presence of freshly‐laid eggs). © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110 , 839–842.     

Geographic variability of the life cycle in Pterostichus melanarius (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

In Pterostichus melanarius, the seasonal dynamics of activity is characterized by two peaks (in mid-June-early July and in late July-mid-August). In southwestern Moldova, these peaks were registered twenty days later than in Moscow Province. In both regions, larvae and adults hibernate. Both hibernated immature adults and adults that had already bred before wintering start reproduction simultaneously. In hibernated immature individuals, the average number of eggs per female constituted 1.5 times that in the postgenerative females. In the steppe zone, the total number of eggs laid by immature females was closed to that laid by previously bred females, while in the southern taiga zone, hibernated immature females laid a greater number of eggs. In the steppe zone, females of a new generation lay a somewhat lower number of eggs in comparison with hibernated immature females, whereas the total number of laid eggs is significantly higher. In the southern taiga zone, both the average number of laid eggs and their total number are equal in females of a new generation and hibernated immature females. In Moldova, the majority of individuals of a new generation breed in the current season, whereas in Moscow Prov., about half the individuals hibernate without breeding. Over the largest part of the range, the life cycle of P. melanarius combines the one-year development with hibernating larvae with two-year development with the hibernating immature and postgenerative adults. The two subpopulation groups, wintering at different phases of the ontogenesis, are totally isolated at the northern border of the range. Within each subpopulation., individuals are characterized by the biennial life cycle; as a result, the polyvariant character of the life cycle turns into the monovariant one. We suggest that such a life cycle should be designated as the compensatory monovariant cycle, and populations, in which it is realized, as byside populations (from the English “side by side”).     

Impacts of declining water levels on the quantity of fish habitat in coastal wetlands of eastern Georgian Bay,Lake Huron

The aim of this study was to examine whether the presence of non-toxic filamentous cyanobacteria can cause egg abortion in Daphnia. To test this hypothesis, we fed females of Daphnia pulicaria with the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus from birth until eggs were laid in the brood chamber. Gravid Daphnia females were then exposed to media containing either S. obliquus or filaments of a non-toxic strain of the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. The females were then observed throughout the whole period of egg development and all events of egg abortion were recorded. Experiments were conducted at three temperatures: 16, 20, and 24°C. In the presence of cyanobacteria, the proportion of aborted eggs ranged from 2.6 to 12.9%, compared with 0–1.8% in the green algae treatment. The number of aborted eggs, but not the number of egg-aborting females, tended to increase at higher temperature. Our data indicate that interference by non-toxic cyanobacterial filaments may affect the reproductive success of Daphnia, not only through suppression of their fecundity, but also via an increase in the number of aborted eggs. Therefore, the reproductive rate of Daphnia based on the fecundity of females may be overestimated in situations where filamentous cyanobacteria are present.     

Some aspects of oögenesis in the stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae)

Two distinct patterns of blood ingestion in the female stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans L. were observed, based on whether or not the female was mated. Mating is not required for oögenesis, but is necessary for oviposition. Virgin females develop eggs but, in the absence of mating, they retain eggs until death. In stable flies, oögenesis appears to be atypical among other dipterans as the penultimate follicles develop and deposit up to 50% yolk before the terminal follicles are matured. Oösorption was seen in the penultimate follicles of virgin females retaining eggs. Accessory-gland implants initiated oviposition in virgin females. However, the total number of eggs laid by such females was 50% less than the number of eggs laid by mated flies.     

Ant-dependent food plant selection by the mistletoe butterfly Ogyris amaryllis (Lycaenidae)

Summary A quantitative study of the relationship between antoccupied mistletoes and oviposition by Ogyris amaryllis (Lycaenidae) revealed diet selection to be ant-dependent. Chemical toxins apparently prohibit the use of ant-occupied Lysiana plants. Nearly all of the 5106 censused eggs were laid on Amyema individuals with ants, independent of plant abundance or relative quality. On the average, only 32% of these nutritionally acceptable individuals were actually suitable for oviposition. The selection of Amyema maidenii with ants over nutritionally superior A. preissii without ants clearly identifies the secondary importance of food quality to O. amaryllis. Oviposition normally occurs after tactile stimulation by ants. Under experimental conditions without ants, females often laid clutches of 1–3 eggs, but significantly increased clutch size after contact with ants. Eggs laid in the presence of ants had lower parasitism rates than eggs laid away from ants.     

Effect of multiple mating on the reproductive performance of the rice leaffolder moth,Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

To clarify whether multiple mating of females and males affects the reproductive performance of the rice leaffolder moth, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée), we examined the effect of the number of matings (once, twice, or three times) for females (female treatment) and males (male treatment) on the incidence of moth mating, number of eggs laid, egg hatchability, and adult longevity. We also compared the effect of multiple mating imposed on males or females separately with the effect of that imposed on both sexes simultaneously (both sexes treatment). The incidence of mating of females and males that mated three times (3-mated females and males) was significantly lower than for females and males that mated twice or once (2-mated or 1-mated females and males). The incidence of mating of 1-mated moths (both sexes) was significantly higher than for 2-mated or 3-mated moths (both sexes). Two-mated or 3-mated females laid significantly more eggs with significantly higher hatchability than 1-mated females. Females that mated with 1-mated males (second male mating) or 2-mated males (third male mating) laid significantly fewer eggs than those that mated with virgin males (first male mating). Females laid significantly more eggs after the second and third matings for moths of both sexes than after the first mating for moths of both sexes. The mechanisms of improvement and decline of female reproductive performance when multiple mating was imposed on males or females are also discussed in relation to the reproductive biology of C. medinalis.     

Virgin wasps develop ovaries on par with mated females, but lay fewer eggs

In the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata, mating is not necessary for a female wasp to develop her ovaries, lay eggs, and even to become the sole egg layer of her colony despite the presence of other mated nestmates. Here, we show that virgin wasps do not differ from their mated counterparts in the extent and rapidity of their ovarian development, in the proportion of individuals that build a nest and laid eggs, and in the time taken to do so. However, a significantly larger proportion of virgin females showed resorbing oocytes, and laid fewer eggs as compared to mated individuals. Thus, virgin females have the ability to develop ovaries and lay eggs but also to refrain from necessarily laying all mature eggs produced, before mating opportunities arise. This dual ability would be adaptive in haplodiploid, tropical species with perennial nesting cycles and frequent opportunities for workers to become replacement queens or solitary nest foundresses throughout the year.