Performance consequences of food mixing in two passion vine leaf-footed bugs, Holymenia clavigera (Herbst, 1784) and Anisoscelis foliacea marginella (Dallas, 1852) (Hemiptera; Coreidae)

D Rodrigues,Ls Duarte,Grp Moreira

doi:10.1590/s1519-69842007000100012

D Rodrigues, Ls Duarte + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/s1519-69842007000100012

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Abstract

Holymenia clavigera (Herbst) and Anisoscelis foliacea marginella (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Coreidae: Anisoscelini) are distributed in southern Brazil and use various passion vine species (Passifloraceae) as host-plants. Preliminary observations indicate a high coexistence of these species in terms of host-plant use; in addition, there is a strong similarity regarding egg and nymph morphology. In this study, the most suitable feeding sites for nymph performance on wild (Passiflora suberosa Linnaeus and Passiflora misera Humbold, Bonpland et Kunth) and cultivated (Passiflora edulis Sims) hosts were determined by rearing them on each host and on the combination of hosts. Performance was determined by evaluating nymph development and survivorship, and adult size at emergence. Plant parts used were also recorded. For both species, P. suberosa was the most suitable host plant. First instar nymphs of both species fed on terminal buds more frequently when compared to other plant parts. Second instar nymphs switched to green fruits, whose behavior was more pronounced for H. clavigera. Thus, H. clavigera and A. foliacea marginella immatures are extremely similar in terms of host-plant use and consequences for performance, in addition to their morphological similarity. We suggest that these coreids may have evolved through several processes, including parsimony between the immature stages after speciation, evolutionary convergence, mimicry or genetic drift.

Highlights

Performance studies are important for understanding life history traits and their dynamics
Less than 50% of the nymphs of H. clavigera and A. foliacea marginella survived until the adult stage in all treatments (Figure 1a)
H. clavigera nymphs grew significantly faster when reared on P. suberosa than on P. misera (Dunn’s multiple comparison tests, p

Summary

Introduction

Performance studies are important for understanding life history traits and their dynamics. For phytophagous insects, this approach provides information related to different trophic levels (see Abrahamson and Weis, 1997; Singer et al, 2004). The outcome of the performance of a given insect may result from physical and/or chemical plant properties, or may reflect selective pressures imposed by oviposition patterns, natural enemies (see Bernays and Graham, 1988; Thompson, 1988; Abrahamson and Weis, 1997), or the evolution of insect specialization (Joshi and Thompson, 1995). Phytophagous hemipterans are commonly not restricted to vegetative or reproductive parts of their hostplants, and sometimes studies of performance have faced difficulties to maintain the nutritional quality of vegetative parts that they require. Studies with coreids include nymph development time of nymphs feeding on plants of no economic importance [Leptoglossus gonagra (Amaral-Filho and Storti-Filho, 1976), Veneza stigma (Amaral-Filho and Cajueiro, 1977), and Crinocerus sanctus (Amaral-Filho, 1986)], or on host-plants of economic importance [Phthia picta (Amaral-Filho, 1981) Leptoglossus zonatus (Panizzi, 1989), and Anasa tristis (Bonjour and Fargo, 1989)]

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