Wild Moths Research Articles

A Surrogate Leaf for Oviposition by the Tobacco Hornworm12

A surrogate leaf for oviposition developed for Manduca sexta (Johannson) compared favorably with host plants, wild moths preferred the surrogate leaves treated with tobacco extract to those treated with tomato extract, but otherwise the responses of wild and colony moths were similar. A comparison between artificial and winter-grown plants indicated that a relationship existed between plant vigor and the oviposition response of tobacco hornworm moths.

Specificity of interactions between the individual gene locus and the structure of chemical mutagens.

Relative frequencies of visible mutations (egg colour mutants) induced by two similar mutagenic agents of the mustard group, nitromine (methyl-bis-β-chloroethyl-amine N-oxide) and N. M.-alanine (N-bis-β-chloroethyl-alanine), have been studied in the silkworm. The solution of either agents was injected into the wild male moths, which were then mated to double recessivepere/pere female moths. (Normal eggs are black,pere/pere andpe/pe eggs are white andre/re eggs, red.) Eggs produced from these matings were examined for their colour and the mutation rates were estimated by the ratio of uncoverings at the marked loci to the total pigmented eggs.