Abstract
BackgroundFor capital breeding Lepidoptera, larval food quality is a key determinant of their fitness. A series of studies have suggested that the larval host species or varieties dramatically impact their development and reproductive output. However, few studies have reported the role of foliar age and adult mating success has often been ignored in these studies. In this paper, the influence of host species and needle age on larval performances, adult mating behavior and fitness consequences has been studied using a capital breeding caterpillar, Dendrolimus punctatus Walker (Lepidoptera:Lasiocampidae).ResultsIn larval performance trial, a strong effect of larval host species and needle age was found on survivorship, developmental duration, body weight, percentage of adult emergence, and growth index, but not on percentage of female progeny. In adult mating trial, larval host species and needle age also significantly affected mating latency and mating duration, but not mating success. In adult fitness trial, female fecundity, longevity and fitness index, but not oviposition duration and fertility, influenced by larval host species and needle age.ConclusionsThese results reveal the importance of larval host species and needle age on larval performance and adult reproductive fitness in this capital breeding insect and provide strong evidence that old needles of masson pine P. massoniana is the best host for D. punctatus.
Highlights
For capital breeding Lepidoptera, larval food quality is a key determinant of their fitness
Significantly fewer larvae survived when reared on P. elliottii and currentyear needles compared with P. massoniana and previous-year needles
The longest duration in larval stages was observed in the current-year needles of P. elliottii treatment and the shortest duration was found in the previous-year needles of P. massoniana treatment
Summary
For capital breeding Lepidoptera, larval food quality is a key determinant of their fitness. The influence of host species and needle age on larval performances, adult mating behavior and fitness consequences has been studied using a capital breeding caterpillar, Dendrolimus punctatus Walker (Lepidoptera:Lasiocampidae). Numerous experimental studies have been performed to examine the influence of host plants quality on their life history traits in recent decades. All of these studies have confirmed that plant quality dramatically impact larval development and adult reproductive output [2]. As one of an important reproductive strategy, The variance in both larval performance and reproductive output of herbivorous insects is often attributed in large part to the nutritional quality of host plants. It is expected that life history characteristics
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