Abstract
Plateumaris constricticollis is a donaciine leaf beetle endemic to Japan, which lives in wetlands and uses Cyperaceae and Poaceae as larval hosts. We analyzed geographic variation in body size and ovipositor dimensions in three subspecies (constricticol- lis, babai, and toyamensis) in different climatic conditions and on different host plants. In addition, the genetic differentiation among subspecies was assessed using nuclear 28S rRNA gene sequences. The body size of subspecies toyamensis is smaller than that of the other subspecies; mean body size tended to increase towards the northeast. Ovipositor length and width are smaller in subspecies toyamensis than in the other subspecies. Although these dimensions depend on body size, ovipositor length still differed significantly between toyamensis and constricticollis-babai after the effect of body size was removed. Multiple regression analyses revealed that body size and ovipositor size are significantly correlated with the depth of snow, but not temperature or rainfall; sizes were larger in places where the snowfall was greatest. Haplotypes of the 28S rRNA gene sequence were not shared among the subspecies. Subspe- cies constricticollis and babai each had a unique haplotype, whereas subspecies toyamensis had four haplotypes, indicating differen- tiation among local populations within toyamensis. The evolution of body and ovipositor size in relation to habitat conditions and host plants is discussed.
Highlights
Geographic variation in insect body size reflects the differential adaptation of local populations to local environmental conditions such as climatic factors, food availability, and the presence of related species (Masaki, 1967, 1978; Roff, 1980; Mousseau & Roff, 1989; Blanckenhorn & Fairbairn, 1995; Sota et al, 2000a, b)
We analyze the geographic variation in body and ovipositor sizes of a wetland leaf beetle, Plateumaris constricticollis (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), a Donaciinae species endemic to the Japanese archipelago the larvae of which feed on the roots of monocotyledonus plants
Fossils of this species are known from the late Pliocene, along with another endemic species P. akiensis, few extant species occur in late Pliocene and early Pleistocene deposits (Hayashi, 2002b, 2004; Hayashi & Shiyake, 2002)
Summary
Geographic variation in insect body size reflects the differential adaptation of local populations to local environmental conditions such as climatic factors, food availability, and the presence of related species (Masaki, 1967, 1978; Roff, 1980; Mousseau & Roff, 1989; Blanckenhorn & Fairbairn, 1995; Sota et al, 2000a, b). We analyze the geographic variation in body and ovipositor sizes of a wetland leaf beetle, Plateumaris constricticollis (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), a Donaciinae species endemic to the Japanese archipelago the larvae of which feed on the roots of monocotyledonus plants. Fossils of this species are known from the late Pliocene, along with another endemic species P. akiensis, few extant species occur in late Pliocene and early Pleistocene deposits (Hayashi, 2002b, 2004; Hayashi & Shiyake, 2002). We examine the relationship between morphological (subspecies) differentiation and genetic differentiation using partial sequence data from the nuclear 28S rRNA gene
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