Abstract
The effects of a cytoplasmic-polyhedrosis virus were studied in the adults of four species of Lepidoptera: Alsophila pometaria (Harris), Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus), Operophtera brumata (Linnaeus), and Paleacrita vernata (Peck). As in the larvae, polyhedra were observed only in the midgut cells in infected adults. The average size of diseased specimens was less than that of healthy ones in all species and tumorlike structures were found in a large proportion of both diseased male and female A. pometaria, O. brumata, and P. vernata adults. In addition, the wings of most diseased males of A. pometaria and O. brumata were malformed and the virus interfered with oocyte development in the females. In all four species, virus infection greatly reduced the reproductive abilities of the adults. The importance of this and other diseases in adults is discussed with respect to the evaluation of pathogens for potential use in biological control.
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