Larval Host Plant Research Articles

Struggling to survive: A comparison of Vanessa cardui larval survivorship on putative host plants

AbstractThe painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) is a generalist herbivore with a global distribution. In North America, over 100 species have been identified as V. cardui larval host plants. This cosmopolitan species is commercially available in all life stages and can be reared on an artificial diet. As a result, V. cardui commonly serves as a model organism for education and outreach. However, gaps in our knowledge remain with regard to V. cardui ecology and larval host plant suitability for supporting complete development of larvae to reproductive adulthood. In a laboratory setting, we tested host plant suitability of five reported host plants commonly found in California sage scrub ecosystems by assessing survival of V. cardui caterpillars in its entirety. We also assessed how commercially sourced larvae survived on artificial diet: both raising the caterpillars exclusively on artificial diet as well as switching diets from artificial to thistle (a commonly reported host plant) and switching from thistle to artificial diet. We found that all commercially sourced caterpillars exhibited both high larval mortality and low pupation rates when reared on host plants, although larvae reared on Malacothamnus fasciculatus and Sphaeralcea ambigua survived longest. Moreover, M. fasciculatus and S. ambigua were the only host plants tested that supported successful pupation. This contrasted with 63% higher survival of wild‐collected larvae. Our findings suggest that commercially obtained V. cardui may struggle to utilize wild host plants and that future investigations into host plant suitability in wild populations are needed. Additionally, future research using commercial larvae should consider the implications for interpreting host plant suitability as larvae may exhibit adaptations to artificial diet or the loss of adaptation to consuming plant material.

Notes on distribution, habitats and biology of two little-known leafrollers in the Balkans (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Dichrorampha dinarica and Cydia suffuscana are known from their type localities only, and apart from the period of the imaginal stage, no data on their biology are known. Dichrorampha dinarica was discovered in Tomor Mountain (Albania), at a relatively long distance from its type locality. The moths were swept from inflorescences of Achillea abrotanoides (Vis.) Vis. (Asteraceae) in the base of 61.2 Alpine calcareous screes (CORINE Biotopes). The larval host plant of C. suffuscana was revealed: it is Lunaria annua L. (Brassicaceae), while all other closely related species from the C. succedana group feed on various Fabaceae. The habitat of the moth after CORINE Biotopes is the margin of 41.45 Thermophilous Alpine and peri-Alpine mixed lime forests. The moths and their habitats are described and illustrated.

A new Chinese Cyclogethes pollen beetle, with an updated key to species of the genus and notes on its phylogenetic positioning (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae).

A peculiar new species of the genus Cyclogethes Kirejtshuk, 1979, C. tibialis sp. nov., is described from Southwestern China (Yunnan). The new species appears to be morphologically rather isolated from the other known members of this essentially Oriental genus (including half a dozen species from Northern Indian subcontinent, Northern Indochina, and Southwestern China). However, it could be more closely related to C. abnormis Kirejtshuk, 1979 from Northern India, Indochina, and Southwestern China, and to C. aldridgei Kirejtshuk, 1980 from Northern India and Nepal, from which it is easily distinguished by the more elongate body shape, and by the markedly sinuate hind tibiae in both sexes (a very unusual character state in Meligethinae, where only males of some species exhibit sexual secondary characters in the tibial shape). The new species also differs from other known taxa of the genus by the shape of the male and female genitalia. The larval hostplants of members of Cyclogethes are thus far unknown, although some clues, also involving the new species described herein, may suggest a relationship with small trees or shrubs of the family Asteraceae. Preliminary and incomplete molecular data on a studied member of the genus (C. abnormis) seems to not disagree with a phylogenetic positioning of Cyclogethes in a clade including the African genera Tarchonanthogethes Audisio & Cline, 2009, its allied Afrotropical taxa, and the Palaearctic genera Meligethes Stephens, 1830 and Brassicogethes Audisio & Cline, 2009. The article includes an updated identification key for all six known species of this genus and an updated map of their known geographic distribution.

Evolution of larval gregariousness is associated with host plant specialisation, but not host morphology, in Heliconiini butterflies.

Insect herbivores, such as lepidopteran larvae, often have close evolutionary relationships with their host plants, with which they may be locked in an evolutionary arms race. Larval grouping behaviour may be one behavioural adaptation that improves host plant feeding, but aggregation also comes with costs, such as higher competition and limited resource access. Here, we use the Heliconiini butterfly tribe to explore the impact of host plant traits on the evolution of larval gregariousness. Heliconiini almost exclusively utilise species from the Passifloraceae as larval host plants. Passifloraceae display incredible diversity in leaf shape and a range of anti-herbivore defences, suggesting they are responding to, and influencing, the evolution of Heliconiini larvae. By analysing larval social behaviour as both a binary (solitary or gregarious) and categorical (increasing larval group size) trait, we revisit the multiple origins of larval gregariousness across Heliconiini. We investigate whether host habitat, leaf defences and leaf size are important drivers of, or constraints on, larval gregariousness. Whereas our data do not reveal links between larval gregariousness and the host plant traits included in this study, we do find an interaction between host plant specialisation and larval behaviour, revealing gregarious larvae to be more likely to feed on a narrower range of host plant species than solitary larvae. We also find evidence that this increased specialisation typically precedes the evolutionary transition to gregarious behaviour. The comparatively greater host specialisation of gregarious larvae suggests that there are specific morphological and/or ecological features of their host plants that favour this behaviour.

Tajuria yajna yajna (Doherty, 1886), a new record in Himachal Pradesh, India (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

During an opportunistic field survey in the Balh Valley of the district Mandi in Himachal Pradesh Tajuria yajna yajna (Doherty, 1886) was documented for the first time. The species has never been reported from Himachal Pradesh and hence the present study extends the known distribution range of T. y. yajna in the North West Himalayas. The study also reports a new larval host plant and the first detailed description of the life history of T. y. yajna from India.

A checklist of European butterfly larval foodplants.

Butterflies are charismatic insects and have been well studied, particularly in Europe. They are disproportionately used in generating and testing hypotheses; on everything from general evolutionary processes, such as speciation or host association dynamics; to conservation-related studies, such as climate change or habitat loss. Accurate lists of the larval foodplants for European butterflies are not readily available. Mistakes are propagated and information cannot be checked for accuracy. The level of evidence is unknown, and how usage varies between countries is poorly understood. The study consulted 1119 references to produce 19,488 records of larval foodplants for European butterflies. This resulted in 5589 larval host plant records for 464 European butterfly species, with multiple references, enabling information to be checked. Information was unavailable for 59 species. The level of evidence for each relationship shows the current state of knowledge. Significant issues were identified for 3.9% of records extracted from references due to mistakes, ambiguous or unknown plant names, distribution issues, resulting in information being lost. Plants with questionable distributions suggest either mis-identification or species that have been split. Little is known about plant usage in Eastern Europe. The larval foodplants of many monophagous and Satyrinae butterflies are poorly studied. Only 63% of threatened 2010 Red Listed butterflies have reliable host plant records. The study has provided ecologists with a valuable resource, of a more accurate checklist of the larval foodplants for each European country. Why plant usage varies over a butterfly's distribution opens up some interesting research questions.

Permethrin Contamination of Sawgrass Marshes and Potential Risk for the Imperiled Klot's Skipper Butterfly (Euphyes pilatka klotsi).

Nontarget effects from mosquito control operations are possible in habitats adjacent to areas targeted by ultra-low-volume (ULV) sprays of permethrin for adult mosquito control. We assessed the risks of permethrin exposure to butterflies, particularly the imperiled Klot's skipper, when exposed to ground-based ULV sprays. Samples of larval host plant leaves (sawgrass) were collected in June (in mosquito season) and January (outside mosquito season) of 2015 from sawgrass marsh habitats of the National Key Deer Wildlife Refuge (Big Pine Key, FL, USA) and analyzed for permethrin. Permethrin detection was higher in June (detected on 70% of samples) than in January (30%), and concentrations were significantly higher in June (geomean = 2.1 ng/g, median = 2.4) relative to January (0.4 ng/g, median = 0.2). Dietary risk for 4th to 5th-instar larvae was low based on the measured residues. The AGricultural DISPersal model (Ver. 8.26) was used to estimate permethrin residues on sawgrass following ULV sprays (deposited residues) to estimate immediate postspray risk. Estimated deposited residues (33-543 ng/g) were much higher than measured residues, which leads to a higher risk likelihood for butterfly larvae immediately after ULV sprays. The difference between estimated and measured residues, and between the two risk estimations, reflects uncertainty in risk estimates based on the measured residues. Research on modeling deposited pesticide residues following ground-based ULV spray is limited. More research on estimating deposited pesticide residues from truck-mounted ULV sprayers could help reduce uncertainty in the risk predictions for nontarget insects like butterflies. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:267-278. Published 2023. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Florivory records of Jamides spp. (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) on Strongylodon macrobotrys A. Gray and S. juangonzalezii Hadsall et al. (Fabaceae)

The endemic Jade Vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys A. Gray (Fabaceae) is reported for the first time as a larval host plant for the butterfly, Jamides suidas C. & R. Felder [1865] (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve. This discovery not only contributes to the missing host plant data of this butterfly but is also the first record of larval feeding on the inflorescence of S. macrobotrys. Meanwhile, adults and larvae of Jamides alecto (C. Felder) were recorded as nectarivore and florivore, respectively, on S. juangonzalezii Hadsall et al.

Short Notes on The Diversity of Butterflies (Order: Lepidoptera) at Selected Residential Areas in Sematan, South-Western Sarawak

Diversity and abundance of butterflies in Sematan area of South-Western Sarawak are studied. In Borneo, 944 different species of butterflies have been documented. In tropical countries, butterflies are essential for monitoring ecological pollination, part of food chain development, temperature change and the degradation of the environment. The study was carried out in order to better understand the presence and variety of butterflies in residential areas at Sematan. The natural vegetation of the area consists of shrubs, herbs, grasses, and tall trees such as Family Malvaceae. Aerial scoop nets were used for the collection in eight residential areas in Sematan. A total of 515 specimens belonging to 63 genera and six families were identified. The family Nymphalidae is the most abundant with 35 genera and 61 species. The family Nymphalidae has the highest Shannon-Wiener Index at 2.63 and the Simpson Diversity Index of 0.92. Nymphalidae are significant in abundance and common species widely distributed in the lower elevation of coastal areas. The occurrence of available adult plant resources and larval host plants contributed to the high diversity of Nymphalidae butterflies. Findings from this study are hoped to contribute to the existing data collection of butterflies especially in Sematan, and for future management and conservation of the native butterflies in Sematan.

The life history of Kallima inachus inachus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on Strobilanthes clarkei for the first time from Vijaynagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The life cycle of Kallima inachus inachus (Doyère, [1840]) has been studied in detail from Vijaynagar, Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The larvae of this species feed on Strobilanthes clarkei belonging to the family Acanthaceae, which is being reported here as a new larval host plant of K. i. inachus from India. The eggs were laid singly beneath the surface of the host plant and occasionally near the larval host plant. The entire life history from the incubation period to the enclosing of the adult was completed in 55 to 57 days. During the present study, adult longevity was recorded as 9–12 days. The entire time span and the measurement of various life cycle stages have been discussed.

Larval Host Plants of the Butterflies under Papilionidae Family of the Western Ghats, India

Butterflies are flying jewels of nature. They are very diverse and has a great role the ecosystem maintenance. Butterflies are widely used as model insects in various studies related to evolution, ethology, insect - plant interactions and distribution (Settele & Kühn, 2009; Rayalu et al,, 2013). Butterflies are among the most studied group of insects in relation to the selection of larval food plants and egg laying patterns and behavior. In relation to the larval food plant selection, considerable amount of database is available on the butterflies and their behavior. These studies have been carried out in almost all geographic regions of the world. (Wilkund, 1984; Kelly & Debinski, 1998; Settele et al., 2009; Curtis et al., 2015; Nitin et al., 2018; Robinson et al., 2001; Rayalu et al., 2013, Hill et al., 2018). Butterflies are one of the most interesting and fascinating insect groups. Butterflies widely appreciated for their aesthetic value are important as ecological indicators [1]. One fifth of the world’s total butterflies are available in India. The butterflies are selective in their choice of flowers and plants they visit. Butterflies and their caterpillars are dependent on specific host plants for foliage, nectar and pollen as their food. Selection of food plants for the immature stages by the adult females is a well-known fact in butterflies and other group of insects. Thus, butterfly diversity indirectly reflects overall plant diversity, especially that of herbs and shrubs, in the given area

Fire regime shapes butterfly communities through changes in nectar resources in an Australian tropical savanna

AbstractFire‐dependent savanna provides key habitat for butterflies globally, but we know little about how fire regimes, including fire frequency and season, affect them. These impacts are likely to be primarily indirect, through changes in overall habitat structure, the abundance of larval host plants, and/or the provision of nectar resources for adults. We examined the relationships among fire regime, butterfly abundance and diversity, and vegetation structure and floral resources within a long‐term fire experiment near Darwin in the Australian monsoon tropics. We surveyed butterflies and floral resources throughout the 2019–2020 wet season in three replicate plots of each of six experimental treatments that had been operating for 15 years. All plots subject to fire had been burned in the previous dry season. We observed 24 butterfly species and 280 individuals representing all five butterfly families found in Northern Australia. Butterfly abundance was highest under early dry‐season (June) fire regimes (mean = 11.9 individuals per plot survey) compared with a late dry‐season (October) regime (mean = 6.7) and in the long‐term absence of fire (mean = 5.3), and this was correlated with the abundance of floral resources. The distribution of butterflies was also highly associated with floral resources within plots regardless of fire treatment. Butterfly species richness was significantly higher in early dry‐season (mean = 6.8) compared with unburned (mean = 3.3) plots but did not differ between early and late dry‐season (mean = 4.7) plots. Butterfly and floral diversity were similar across all early dry‐season fire treatments regardless of whether they had been burned every 1, 2, 3, or 5 years. Our finding that early dry‐season burning promotes butterfly diversity and abundance by increasing the supply of nectar resources has important implications for biodiversity management more broadly, given that nectar is a critical resource for many animal taxa.

The relationship between distribution of the genera Tomares Rambur, 1840 and the distribution of the larval host plant Astragalus L. (Turkey) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

The aim of this study is to reveal the patterns that shape the current distribution of the genus Tomares Rambur, 1840 in Turkey. For this purpose, the relationship between the distribution of the larval food plant Astragalus species of the genus Tomares was examined. For this reason, the data of Astragalus species preferred by larvae were investigated. Larvae of Tomares prefer 14 species of the genus Astragalus as food plants. Only seven of them are distributed in Turkey: Astragalus ponticus Pall., A. utriger Pall., A. macrocephalus Willd., A. micropterus Fisc., A. ornithopodioides Lam., A. densifolius Lam, A. physodes L. The connection between the distribution areas of the Tomares species and Astragalus species in Turkey are discussed.

A Review On The Diversity Of Butterfly (Insecta: Lepidoptera) Fauna From Bangladesh

Butterflies are widely regarded as the most reliable bioindicators of a healthy terrestrial ecosystem. This insect belongs to the order Lepidoptera of the class Insecta and plays an important role in preserving ecological dynamics. The objective of this paper is to review the species diversity of butterflies in Bangladesh. The data is based mainly on published records and field sampling. IUCN Bangladesh (2015) evaluated the threat status of 305 species of butterflies in 2015. The overall number of butterfly species in Bangladesh is now 421, with another 116 having just been added to the IUCN-Bangladesh list. Lycaenidae has the most species (124), followed by Hesperiidae (87), Nymphalidae (79), Satyridae (35), Pieridae (36), Papilionidae (32), Danaidae (19), Riodinidae (4), Amathusiidae (4), and finally Acraeidae, which has only one species. In the present review, it is shown that the family Lycaenidae has the highest percentage of butterfly species (29.45%) among the ten families. The number of Lycaenid butterflies is influenced by various factors, one of which is their ability to inhabit a diverse array of habitats. In contrast, Danaidae account for only 4.51% species of butterflies in Bangladesh, where only one Critically Endangered (CR) and endemic taxon, Euploea crameri nicevillei (Sundarban Crow) resides. Larval host plant documentation in the Sundarbans is essential for the conservation of this species, while the molecular data (COI gene) has already been sequenced and submitted to Genbank (MH269417). Finally, the data obtained from this paper is important for future planning and management of the conservation of the butterflies and their habitat in Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Zool. 51(1): 03-34, 2023

Population divergence in nutrient-temperature interactions in Pieris rapae.

The interaction between larval host plant quality and temperature can influence the short-term physiological rates and life-history traits of insect herbivores. These factors can vary locally, resulting in local adaptation in responses to diet and temperature, but the comparison of these interactions between populations is infrequently carried out. In this study, we examine how the macronutrient ratio of an artificial diet determines the larval growth, development, and survival of larval Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) at different temperatures between two invasive North American populations from different climatic regions. We conducted a fully factorial experiment with three temperature treatments (18°C, 25°C, and 32°C) and three artificial diet treatments varying in terms of the ratio of protein to carbohydrate (low protein, balanced, and high protein). The effects of diet on life-history traits were greater at lower temperatures, but these differed between populations. Larvae from the subtropical population had reduced survival to pupation on the low-protein diet in the cold temperature treatment, whereas larval survival for the temperate population was equally high for all temperature and diet treatments. Overall, both populations performed more poorly (i.e., they showed slower rates of consumption, growth, and development, and had a smaller pupal mass) in the diet with the low protein ratio, but larvae from the temperate population were less sensitive to diet ratio changes at all temperatures. Our results confirm that the physiological and life-history consequences of imbalanced nutrition for insect herbivores may depend on developmental temperatures, and that different geographic populations of P. rapae within North America vary in their sensitivity to nutritional balance and temperature.

Study on Butterfly Diversity in the Campus of Government College Quepem, Goa, India

Butterflies belonging to the class Insecta and the order Lepidoptera make the second largest order after Coleopterans. They are one of the best environmental indicators due to their short life cycle and quick response to the changes in the environment. Moreover, they play vital roles in nutrient cycling and food chain in the ecosystems. No published documentary evidences are available on the butterfly diversity of Quepem at the foothills of Western Ghats in Goa. Present study was designed to generate the preliminary checklist of butterflies at the campus of Government College, Quepem. Field survey on butterflies was carried out from September 2021 to January 2022, in the selected sites comprising of botanical garden, butterfly garden and specific sites in the college campus rich in vegetation. 40 butterfly species belonging to five families spread over 30 genera were recorded during the study period. Family Nymphalidae dominated the college campus with 18 species followed by Lycaenidae (9 species), Papilionidae (5 species), and Hesperiidae and Pieridae with 4 species each. The dominance exhibited by family Nymphalidae was mainly due to the rich landscape and the availability of larval host and nectar plants in the campus.

Two new species of Xenolepis Diakonoff from Papua New Guinea, with the first reported larval host plants (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae)

Two new species of Xenolepis Diakonoff from Papua New Guinea, with the first reported larval host plants (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae)

Performance of DNA barcodes for informing the subspecies controversy in North American populations of Callophrys gryneus (Hübner, [1819]) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Abstract Analysis of genetic divergence in published mitochondrial DNA barcodes from ‘juniper’ and ‘cedar’ hairstreaks, Callophrys gryneus (Hübner) and Callophrys muiri (Hy. Edwards), together with a comparison of phenotypic differences in populations from North America, have been used to address the long-standing controversy regarding subspecies and species assignments in this confusing group of hairstreaks. The most recent view holds that C. gryneus is a single polytypic species comprising 11 nominal subspecies and that C. muiri from California is a valid species. An alternative view subdivides C. gryneus into three nominal species, C. gryneus (s.s.), Callophrys siva and Callophrys nelsoni, each with several named subspecies, and retains C. muiri as a full species. Haplotype networks, phylogenetic analysis and analysis of molecular variance of barcodes provided evidence supporting the subspecies scenario. However, barcodes from closely related congeners of C. gryneus (s.l.) revealed pairwise genetic divergences that would also support elevating three subspecies (C. g. castalis, C. g. siva and C. g. nelsoni) to full species. The barcode data also raise the question of whether C. muiri warrants full species status. Larval host plant preference as a possible driver of genetic differentiation in western populations of this group is also discussed briefly.

Short-term effects of a high-severity summer wildfire on conifer forest moth (Lepidoptera) communities in New Mexico, USA.

Forest fires in North America are becoming larger in area and burning with higher severity as a result of climate change and land management practices. High-severity, stand-replacement fires can inflict major changes to forest insect communities, potentially extirpating many species through altered post-fire habitat resources. We assessed forest-dwelling macrolepidopteran moth communities in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests during the first year after the 2011 Las Conchas fire in New Mexico, USA. We deployed blacklight traps in replicated burned and unburned stands during June, July, and August in 2012. We collected 9,478 individuals, representing 211 species and 8 families. Noctuidae (124 species) and Geometridae (53) comprised the majority of the taxa, followed by Erebidae (21), Sphingidae (5), Notodontidae (3), Lasiocampidae (2), Saturniidae (2), and Drepanidae (1). Moth communities (species composition and abundances) in each forest type (mixed conifer vs. ponderosa pine) were statistically distinguishable, but shared 56.4% (119) of observed species. Overall, compared to unburned forests, post-fire moth communities in both forest types had significantly lower numbers of individuals, species richness and diversity, and lower evenness in ponderosa pine forests. As expected, categorizing moth taxa by larval host plant taxa revealed that reductions of moth populations following fire were associated with the elimination or reduction of available larval host plants (particularly conifers, oaks, and junipers). We predict that future moth community succession will likely parallel the overall transformation from a forested landscape to a montane meadow/grassland ecosystem, with continued reduction in tree-feeding species and increasing dominance by forb/grass-feeding species.

Hyphantria cunea (Drury, 1773) new for the Maltese Islands (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini)

The genus Hyphantria Harris, 1841 and the species Hyphantria cunea (Drury, 1773) are recorded for the first time from the Maltese Islands. Notes on the distribution, habits of the adult and larval host plant are included. A Maltese name is proposed for this new record.