Reproductive potential of Spodoptera eridania (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the laboratory: effect of multiple couples and the size

A Specht,S V Paula-Moraes,N M Barros,D R Sosa-Gómez,D G Montezano,V F Roque-Specht

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.23114

A Specht, S V Paula-Moraes + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.23114

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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of keeping three couples in the same cage, and the size of adults emerged from small, medium-sized and large pupae (278.67 mg; 333.20 mg and 381.58 mg, respectively), on the reproductive potential of S. eridania (Stoll, 1782) adults, under controlled conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 70% RH and 14 hour photophase). We evaluated the survival, number of copulations, fecundity and fertility of the adult females. The survival of females from these different pupal sizes did not differ statistically, but the survival of males from large pupae was statistically shorter than from small pupae. Fecundity differed significantly and correlated positively with size. The number of effective copulations (espematophores) and fertility did not vary significantly with pupal size. Our results emphasize the importance of indicating the number of copulations and the size of the insects when reproductive parameters are compared.

Highlights

The genus Spodoptera Guenee, 1852 is cosmopolitan and includes most “military caterpillars” of great agricultural importance (Pogue, 2002)
Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) is endemic to the Americas (Pogue, 2002), and its polyphagous larvae are associated with 202 host plants belonging to 58 plant families (Montezano et al, 2014)
Our objective was to compare the effects of keeping multiple couples together, and pupal weight, on the fecundity and fertility of S. eridania adults

Summary

Introduction

The genus Spodoptera Guenee, 1852 is cosmopolitan and includes most “military caterpillars” of great agricultural importance (Pogue, 2002). Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) is endemic to the Americas (Pogue, 2002), and its polyphagous larvae are associated with 202 host plants belonging to 58 plant families (Montezano et al, 2014). In addition to various native host plants, S. eridania larvae feed on invasive plants and crops such as alfalfa, cotton, peanuts, sweet potato, onions, beans, tobacco, sunflower, manioc, quinoa, soy, tomatoes and oleaceous in general (Montezano et al, 2014). 1797) reared in the laboratory have documented that the number of copulations in cages with multiple couples (n= 25) is twice greater (Milano et al, 2008) than the number of copulations in cages with only one couple

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