DOCSLIB.ORG

Physical Determinants of Fluid-Feeding in Insects

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Physical Determinants of Fluid-Feeding in Insects See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337854621 Physical Determinants of Fluid-Feeding in Insects Chapter · December 2019 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-29654-4_8 CITATIONS READS 0 33 2 authors, including: Konstantin G Kornev Clemson University 161 PUBLICATIONS 1,951 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All content following this page was uploaded by Konstantin G Kornev on 16 December 2019. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Chapter 8 Physical determinants of fluid feeding in insects Konstantin G. Kornev1 and Peter H. Adler2 1. Corresponding author: Konstantin G. Kornev, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, 29634, USA, e-mail: [email protected] 2. Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, 29634, USA e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Fluid feeders represent more than half of the world’s insect species. We review current understanding of the physics of fluid feeding, from the perspective of wetting, capillarity, and fluid mechanics. We feature butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) as representative fluid-feeding insects. Fluid uptake by live butterflies is experimentally explained based on X-ray imaging and high-speed optical microscopy, and is augmented by modeling and by mechanical and physicochemical characterization of biomaterials. Wetting properties of the lepidopteran proboscis are reviewed, and a classification of proboscis morphology and wetting characteristics is proposed. The porous and fibrous structure of the mouthparts is important in determining the dietary habits of fluid-feeding insects. The fluid mechanics of liquid uptake by insects cannot be explained by a simple Hagen-Poiseuille flow scenario of a drinking- straw model. Fluid-feeding insects expend muscular energy in moving fluid through the proboscis or through the sucking pump, depending primarily on the ratio of the proboscis length to the food-canal diameter. A general four-step model of fluid feeding is proposed, which involves wetting, dewetting, absorbing, and pumping. The physics of fluid feeding is important for understanding the evolution of sucking mouthparts and, consequently, insect diversification through development of new fluid-feeding habits. 1 1. Introduction The success of fluid-feeding insects on our “buggy” planet is unprecedented; more than half of all known insects on Earth—over 500,000 species—are fluid feeders (Grimaldi and Engel, 2005, Adler and Foottit 2009, Shaw, 2014). For about 300 million years, insects that feed on fluids have used unique feeding devices, termed “proboscises” to acquire water and nutriment ( Kingsolver and Daniel, 1995, Chapman, 2013). Anatomical features of the proboscis are detailed in Chapt. 3. Fluid feeders have evolved to exploit a remarkable diversity of food resources including nectar, phloem, and xylem of plants, and blood, carrion, dung, sweat, tears, and urine of animals (Labandeira, 1997, 2010, Misof et al., 2014). Lepidoptera provide many examples of opportunistic fluid feeding (Fig. 1). Feeding devices of insects have been popular evolutionary subjects since Charles Darwin predicted that a sphinx moth with a 30-cm long proboscis feeds from the long nectar spur of the orchid Angraecum sesquipedale ( Darwin, 1904, Arditti et al., 2012). Among the most attractive and demanding areas of research are the evolution and diversification of insect feeding organs within the context of their morphology, materials properties, and functional performance (Russell, 1916, Lauder, 2003, Krenn and Aspöck, 2012). Fig. 1. Lepidoptera feeding opportunistically from various substrates in Peru, Madre de Dios Region, Las Piedras, ca. 235–275 m above sea level. A. Euselasia sp. (Riodinidae) probing beneath the margin of a fingernail. B. Heliconius sp. gathering pollen on its proboscis from a species of Passiflora. C. Euselasia toppini (Riodinidae) probing on a leaf of the palm Geonoma sp. D. Syllectra sp. (Erebidae; identified by P.Z. Goldstein) probing on drying laundry at night. E. Ithomia lichyi (Nymphalidae) feeding on a dead caterpillar; a bead of saliva is present proximal to the “knee” bend. F. The skipper Tarsoctenus papias (Hesperiidae) feeding on antbird droppings near an army ant raid. Photos courtesy of Allison Stoiser. The feeding devices of all fluid-feeding insects consist of a proboscis paired with a sucking pump. The geometry of sucking pumps is complex and many details are poorly understood (Bennet-Clark, 1963, Davis and Hildebrand, 2006, Bauder et al., 2013, Karolyi et al., 2013, 2014,). The sucking pump, the proboscis, and their geometries exhibit a range of sizes, as represented by a selection of eight species with proboscises ranging from 0.3 mm to about 70 mm long (Table 1). Although the pump of these species is sizable relative to the head, the proboscis length varies greatly. Accordingly, the ratio of maximum size of the pump chamber to proboscis length 2 changes from infinity to zero, suggesting that the mechanism of energy dissipation changes from one species to another. Table 1. Characteristics of the proboscis and sucking pump of selected fluid-feeding insects. Species Proboscis Food canal Pump Pump Pump dp /L b c d length, 푳풑 diameter, dp length , L width , height , (mm) (µm) (µm) W(µm) ℎ (µm) Acherontia 10.1 494.6 2417.6 2030.3 765.9 0.2 atroposa Danaus 14.4 35.0 886.2 606.3 145.6 0.03 plexippuse Manduca sextae 50–70 82.5 1834.5 2272.2 1227.4 0.04 Nadata gibosa 3.58 25.4 598.3 362.8 240.4 0.04 Symmerista 0.35 17.3 298.8 358.8 91.0 0.12 albifronsf Rhodnius 5.2 8-10 3000–5000 280 160 0.02– prolixusg 0.03 Pediculus 0.4(f) 7.2 (f) 50(f) 50(f) 30(f) 0.14(f) humanush 0.4(m) 6.8(m) 43(m) 43(m) 30(m) 0.17(m) Cimex 1.23(f) 16(f) 134(f) 134(f) 75(f) 0.12(f) lectulariush 1.00(m) 14(m) 114(m) 114(m) 75(m) 0.12(m) a Data from figs. 2D, E in Brehm et al. (2015). b Longest distance within the chamber, parallel to the floor of the pump. c Greatest width within the chamber, perpendicular to the length of the pump chamber. d Greatest height, dorsal to ventral, along the mid-sagittal plane and perpendicular to the length of the pump. e Proboscis lengths for D. plexippus and M. sexta and food canal diameter for D. plexippus are from Campos et al. (2015) and Lehnert et al. (2016). f Diameter of the food canal of a single galea. The two galeae do not meet; therefore, a single food canal is not formed; the food canal is assumed to be circular. gData from Bennet-Clark (1963). h Data from Tawfik (1968); f-female, m-male. Pump height is interpreted as the “travel of diaphragm” values in this reference; the pump is considered a cylinder. Proboscises of fluid-feeding insects, such as butterflies, moths, house flies, and mosquitoes, have multiple functions enabling them to access floral nectaries, mop up liquid films and droplets, and pierce plant and animal tissues. Topographically sculptured surfaces, together with a fibrous and porous structure, are critical for multifunctionality of proboscises (Snodgrass, 1935, Schmitt, 1938, Eastham and Eassa, 1955, Hepburn, 1971,1985, Harder, 1986, Cheer and Koehl, 1987, Hainsworth et al., 1991, Koehl, 2001, Corbet, 2000, Krenn, 2010, Monaenkova et al., 2012, Abou-Shaara, 2014, Tsai et al., 2014, Chen et al., 2015, Zhu et al., 2016b). This architecture offers a large surface area, suggesting that capillary and wetting forces, which pull water into a dry sponge, should also play an integral role in the fluid uptake strategies of sucking insects. Insect evolution has involved increases and decreases of organ size (Rensch, 1948, McMahon and Bonner, 1983, Hanken and Wake, 1993, Shaw, 2014, Polilov, 2015). Accordingly, feeding devices of insects exhibit a broad range of sizes, from extremely small in insects such as aphids ( Barber, 1924, Auclair, 1963) to extraordinarily long in some sphinx moths (Arditti et al., 2012). Different behavioral strategies and physical and materials organization of the feeding devices are associated with this large size range. 3 The proboscis of fluid-feeding insects differs structurally among species. For example, the butterfly proboscis consists of two elongated components (i.e., galeae), joined together by linking mechanisms made of fence-like structures (Fig. 2, and Chapt. 3). Fluid is transported through a food canal between the galeae (Eastham and Eassa, 1955, Krenn, 2010). The proboscises of bees, house flies, and mosquitoes have different structure, often independently evolved, implying that different physical mechanisms for fluid uptake and transport might be involved (Smith, 1985, Kingsolver and Daniel, 1995, Kim and Bush, 2012). Yet, the feeding efficiency for all proboscises is remarkably high. We suggest that common principles of fluid uptake can explain the structure and function of mouthparts across fluid-feeding insect groups. The proboscises of fluid feeders, for example, share a ground plan of their materials organization: the drinking regions are fibrous and porous, pointing to the importance of capillary and wetting forces in the feeding strategies of all fluid-feeding insects (Monaenkova et al., 2012). We focus on the lepidopteran proboscis as a model to explore the physical aspects and constraints of fluid-feeding in insects. Fig. 2. Photomicrographs of butterfly proboscises (SEM). (A) Coiled proboscis of the tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). (B) Cross-section of the proboscis of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) with a circular hole, the food canal, formed by the two halves (galeae). The top and bottom fence-like structures (legulae) link the two galeae together. (C) A single galea of the monarch butterfly resembles a C-shaped fiber with a semicircular C-channel, which, when united with the other half, forms a food canal (Reproduced by SPIE permission from Kornev et al., 2016).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Altered Functional Properties of the Codling Moth Orco Mutagenized in the Intracellular Loop‑3 Yuriy V
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Altered functional properties of the codling moth Orco mutagenized in the intracellular loop‑3 Yuriy V. Bobkov1, William B. Walker III2 & Alberto Maria Cattaneo1,2* Amino acid substitutions within the conserved polypeptide sequence of the insect olfactory receptor co‑receptor (Orco) have been demonstrated to infuence its pharmacological properties. By sequence analysis and phylogenetic investigation, in the Lepidopteran subgroup Ditrysia we identifed a fxed substitution in the intracellular loop‑3 (ICL‑3) of a conserved histidine to glutamine. By means of HEK293 cells as a heterologous system, we functionally expressed Orco from the Ditrysian model Cydia pomonella (CpomOrco) and compared its functional properties with a site‑directed mutagenized version where this ICL‑3‑glutamine was reverted to histidine (CpomOrcoQ417H). The mutagenized CpomOrcoQ417H displayed decreased responsiveness to VUAA1 and reduced response efcacy to an odorant agonist was observed, when co‑transfected with the respective OR subunit. Evidence of reduced responsiveness and sensitivity to ligands for the mutagenized Orco suggest the fxed glutamine substitution to be optimized for functionality of the cation channel within Ditrysia. In addition, contrary to the wild type, the mutagenized CpomOrcoQ417H preserved characteristics of VUAA‑binding when physiologic conditions turned to acidic. Taken together, our fndings provide further evidence of the importance of ICL‑3 in forming basic functional properties of insect Orco‑ and Orco/OR‑channels, and suggest involvement of ICL‑3 in the potential functional adaptation of Ditrysian Orcos to acidifed extra‑/intracellular environment. Te odorant receptor co-receptor, Orco, is a unique transmembrane protein, expressed in most of the olfac- tory sensory neurons (OSNs) of insect antennae1–3 and is highly conserved in sequence and function across all insects4,5.
    [Show full text]
  • Toxicology in Antiquity
    TOXICOLOGY IN ANTIQUITY Other published books in the History of Toxicology and Environmental Health series Wexler, History of Toxicology and Environmental Health: Toxicology in Antiquity, Volume I, May 2014, 978-0-12-800045-8 Wexler, History of Toxicology and Environmental Health: Toxicology in Antiquity, Volume II, September 2014, 978-0-12-801506-3 Wexler, Toxicology in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, March 2017, 978-0-12-809554-6 Bobst, History of Risk Assessment in Toxicology, October 2017, 978-0-12-809532-4 Balls, et al., The History of Alternative Test Methods in Toxicology, October 2018, 978-0-12-813697-3 TOXICOLOGY IN ANTIQUITY SECOND EDITION Edited by PHILIP WEXLER Retired, National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program, Bethesda, MD, USA Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier 125 London Wall, London EC2Y 5AS, United Kingdom 525 B Street, Suite 1650, San Diego, CA 92101, United States 50 Hampshire Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, United Kingdom Copyright r 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions. This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).
    [Show full text]
  • (Lepidoptera) of the Tuxtlas Mts., Veracruz, Mexico, Revisited: Species-Richness and Habitat Disturbance
    29(1-2):105-133,Journal of Research 1990(91) on the Lepidoptera 29(1-2):105-133, 1990(91) 105 The Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of the Tuxtlas Mts., Veracruz, Mexico, Revisited: Species-Richness and Habitat Disturbance. Robert A. Raguso Dept. of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 USA.* Jorge Llorente-Bousquets Museo de Zoologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apartado Postal 70-399 Mexico D.F., CP 04510 Abstract. Checklists of the butterflies (Lepidoptera) collected in two rainforest study sites in the Tuxtlas Mts., Veracruz, Mexico are presented. A total of 182 species of butterflies were recorded at Laguna Encantada, near San Andres Tuxtla, and 212 species were recorded from the nearby Estacion de Biologia Tropical “Los Tuxtlas” (EBITROLOTU). We collected 33 species not included in G. Ross’ (1975–77) faunistic treatment of the region, 12 of which are new species records for the Tuxtlas. We present a list of the skipper butterflies (Hesperioidea) of the Tuxtlas, including a state record for the giant skipper, Agathymus rethon. At both study sites, we observed seasonal patterns in species abundance during periods of reduced precipitation. Our data indicate an apparent increase in butterfly species-richness in the Tuxtlas over the last 25 years. This increase reflects more efficient sampling due to advances in lepidopteran ecology and improved collecting methods, as well as the effects of habitat disturbance. A comparison between the butterfly faunas of the two rainforest sites revealed that a higher percentage of weedy, cosmopolitan species were present at Laguna Encantada, the smaller, more disturbed site. We anticipate further changes in butterfly species-richness and faunal composition as the mosaic of habitats in the Tuxtlas continue to be modified.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny and Evolution of Lepidoptera
    EN62CH15-Mitter ARI 5 November 2016 12:1 I Review in Advance first posted online V E W E on November 16, 2016. (Changes may R S still occur before final publication online and in print.) I E N C N A D V A Phylogeny and Evolution of Lepidoptera Charles Mitter,1,∗ Donald R. Davis,2 and Michael P. Cummings3 1Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742; email: [email protected] 2Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560 3Laboratory of Molecular Evolution, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2017. 62:265–83 Keywords Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2017.62. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org The Annual Review of Entomology is online at Hexapoda, insect, systematics, classification, butterfly, moth, molecular ento.annualreviews.org systematics This article’s doi: Access provided by University of Maryland - College Park on 11/20/16. For personal use only. 10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-035125 Abstract Copyright c 2017 by Annual Reviews. Until recently, deep-level phylogeny in Lepidoptera, the largest single ra- All rights reserved diation of plant-feeding insects, was very poorly understood. Over the past ∗ Corresponding author two decades, building on a preceding era of morphological cladistic stud- ies, molecular data have yielded robust initial estimates of relationships both within and among the ∼43 superfamilies, with unsolved problems now yield- ing to much larger data sets from high-throughput sequencing. Here we summarize progress on lepidopteran phylogeny since 1975, emphasizing the superfamily level, and discuss some resulting advances in our understanding of lepidopteran evolution.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphiesmeno- Ptera: the Caddisflies and Lepidoptera
    CY501-C13[548-606].qxd 2/16/05 12:17 AM Page 548 quark11 27B:CY501:Chapters:Chapter-13: 13Amphiesmeno-Amphiesmenoptera: The ptera:Caddisflies The and Lepidoptera With very few exceptions the life histories of the orders Tri- from Old English traveling cadice men, who pinned bits of choptera (caddisflies)Caddisflies and Lepidoptera (moths and butter- cloth to their and coats to advertise their fabrics. A few species flies) are extremely different; the former have aquatic larvae, actually have terrestrial larvae, but even these are relegated to and the latter nearly always have terrestrial, plant-feeding wet leaf litter, so many defining features of the order concern caterpillars. Nonetheless, the close relationship of these two larval adaptations for an almost wholly aquatic lifestyle (Wig- orders hasLepidoptera essentially never been disputed and is supported gins, 1977, 1996). For example, larvae are apneustic (without by strong morphological (Kristensen, 1975, 1991), molecular spiracles) and respire through a thin, permeable cuticle, (Wheeler et al., 2001; Whiting, 2002), and paleontological evi- some of which have filamentous abdominal gills that are sim- dence. Synapomorphies linking these two orders include het- ple or intricately branched (Figure 13.3). Antennae and the erogametic females; a pair of glands on sternite V (found in tentorium of larvae are reduced, though functional signifi- Trichoptera and in basal moths); dense, long setae on the cance of these features is unknown. Larvae do not have pro- wing membrane (which are modified into scales in Lepi- legs on most abdominal segments, save for a pair of anal pro- doptera); forewing with the anal veins looping up to form a legs that have sclerotized hooks for anchoring the larva in its double “Y” configuration; larva with a fused hypopharynx case.
    [Show full text]
  • Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Calpinae)
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Insecta Mundi Florida September 2008 World Checklist of Tribe Calpini (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Calpinae) J. M. Zaspel University of Florida, Gainesville, FL M. A. Branham University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi Part of the Entomology Commons Zaspel, J. M. and Branham, M. A., "World Checklist of Tribe Calpini (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Calpinae)" (2008). Insecta Mundi. 575. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi/575 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Insecta Mundi by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. INSECTA MUNDI A Journal of World Insect Systematics 0047 World Checklist of Tribe Calpini (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Calpinae) J. M. Zaspel and M. A. Branham Department of Entomology and Nematology University of Florida P.O. Box 110620 Natural Area Drive Gainesville, FL 32611, USA Date of Issue: September 26, 2008 CENTER FOR SYSTEMATIC E NTOMOLOGY, INC., Gainesville, FL J. M. Zaspel and M. A. Branham World Checklist of Tribe Calpini (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Calpinae) Insecta Mundi 0047: 1-15 Published in 2008 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P. O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 U. S. A. http://www.centerforsystematicentomology.org/ Insecta Mundi is a journal primarily devoted to insect systematics, but articles can be published on any non-marine arthropod taxon. Manuscripts considered for publication include, but are not limited to, systematic or taxonomic studies, revisions, nomenclatural changes, faunal studies, book reviews, phylo- genetic analyses, biological or behavioral studies, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigations on the Vampire Moth Genus Calyptra Ochsenheimer, Incorporating Taxonomy, Life History, and Bioinformatics (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Calpinae) Julia L
    Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Open Access Theses Theses and Dissertations 12-2016 Investigations on the vampire moth genus Calyptra Ochsenheimer, incorporating taxonomy, life history, and bioinformatics (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Calpinae) Julia L. Snyder Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_theses Part of the Bioinformatics Commons, Biology Commons, and the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Snyder, Julia L., "Investigations on the vampire moth genus Calyptra Ochsenheimer, incorporating taxonomy, life history, and bioinformatics (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Calpinae)" (2016). Open Access Theses. 897. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_theses/897 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Graduate School Form 30 Updated 12/26/2015 PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance This is to certify that the thesis/dissertation prepared By Julia L Snyder Entitled INVESTIGATION ON THE VAMPIRE MOTH GENUS CALYPTRA OCHSENHEIMER, INCORPORATING TAXONOMY, LIFE HISTORY, AND BIOINFORMATICS (LEPIDOPTERA: EREBIDAE: CALPINAE) For the degree of Master of Science Is approved by the final examining committee: Jennifer M. Zaspel Chair Catherine A. Hill Stephen L. Cameron To the best of my knowledge and as understood by the student in the Thesis/Dissertation Agreement, Publication Delay, and Certification Disclaimer (Graduate School Form 32), this thesis/dissertation adheres to the provisions of Purdue University’s “Policy of Integrity in Research” and the use of copyright material. Jennifer M. Zaspel Approved by Major Professor(s): Stephen L. Cameron 12/01/2016 Approved by: Head of the Departmental Graduate Program Date INVESTIGATIONS ON THE VAMPIRE MOTH GENUS CALYPTRA OCHSENHEIMER, INCORPORATING TAXONOMY, LIFE HISTORY, AND BIOINFORMATICS (LEPIDOPTERA: EREBIDAE: CALPINAE) A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by Julia L.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report
    Final Report Project Name: Historical Occurrence & Present Status of Insect Species in Greatest Need of Conservation Project Number: T-38-P-001 Principal Investigator: C. H. Dietrich Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 S Oak St., Champaign, IL 21820; phone (217) 244-7408 IDNR Project Manager: John Buhnerkempe Effective Dates: 03/01/2007-02/28/2012 Introduction Insects are the most diverse class of animals included on the Illinois list of Species in Greatest Need of Conservation (SGNC). The exact number of insect species native to Illinois is unknown, but certainly exceeds 30,000. Although precise data on long-term population trends are available for relatively few insect species, recent surveys by Panzer and colleagues in the Chicago metropolitan area (Panzer et al. 1995) indicated that ca. 13% of the prairie-inhabiting insect species originally recorded from the region have been extirpated. A more recent general insect sampling program, part of the Critical Trends Assessment Project at the Illinois Natural History Survey, has shown that declines in the state’s insect fauna have paralleled those observed for birds, reptiles and amphibians, and vascular plants. This sampling, conducted over the past 15 years, indicates that “typical” (i.e., poor quality) grasslands and wetlands collectively support less than 30% of the species originally recorded from such habitats in Illinois (Dietrich 2009). Published data on long-term trends in insect populations are available only for a few pest species. For species not considered to be of economic importance, the most extensive historical data available are those associated with specimens deposited in insect collections. The insect collection of the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), which houses specimens accumulated over the past 150+ years, is the largest and oldest repository of information on the insect fauna of Illinois.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Land Use on Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Abundance and Diversity in the Tropical Coastal Regions of Guyana and Australia
    ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following work: Sambhu, Hemchandranauth (2018) Effects of land use on butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) abundance and diversity in the tropical coastal regions of Guyana and Australia. PhD Thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: https://doi.org/10.25903/5bd8e93df512e Copyright © 2018 Hemchandranauth Sambhu The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owners of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please email [email protected] EFFECTS OF LAND USE ON BUTTERFLY (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE) ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY IN THE TROPICAL COASTAL REGIONS OF GUYANA AND AUSTRALIA _____________________________________________ By: Hemchandranauth Sambhu B.Sc. (Biology), University of Guyana, Guyana M.Sc. (Res: Plant and Environmental Sciences), University of Warwick, United Kingdom A thesis Prepared for the College of Science and Engineering, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy James Cook University February, 2018 DEDICATION ________________________________________________________ I dedicate this thesis to my wife, Alliea, and to our little girl who is yet to make her first appearance in this world. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ________________________________________________________ I would like to thank the Australian Government through their Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for graciously offering me a scholarship (Australia Aid Award – AusAid) to study in Australia. From the time of my departure from my home country in 2014, Alex Salvador, Katherine Elliott and other members of the AusAid team have always ensured that the highest quality of care was extended to me as a foreign student in a distant land.
    [Show full text]
  • I'll Take Blood Sucking Moths for Fifty
    “I’ll Take Blood Sucking Moths for Fifty”: Trusting the Ancients on Animal Lore It is customary to treat outrageous claims from antiquity concerning animals with a judicious shake of the head and an immediate recourse to a belief that authors such as Pliny were so undiscriminating that they would believe, and report, anything. Even a casual reader of Pliny the Elder has had this reaction numerous times. Yet the author, currently preparing a book on animals in antiquity, has found cause to temper this reaction with a certain amount of caution. The ancient writers on animals should not be rejected out of hand, for they often are more correct than we would care to acknowledge. Nicander (Theriaca 759-68) describes a creature which seems to be a large moth with the ability to sting or bite. The name is given by the scholia and seems to mean "head-biter." The scholia also offer a synonym, "head striker." The animal is clearly a moth, as it flutters indoors at night around lamps and has scaly wings that leave a residue of dust on anyone touching it. Up to this point Nicander is on safe ground. But he continues to tell us of its hard, nodding head and that it is lethal when it stings a man on the head or neck. It lives among the "trees of Perseus" in Egypt. The scholiasts add that this "moth" has four wings (as moths do) and a stinger that is positioned below its head, hidden by its neck. Philoumenos (15.5 = Aetius 13.20) states that the "moth" is green, but Beavis (53) explains this as a misreading of Nicander.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomic Studies on Two Species of Genus Calyptra Ochsenheimer
    Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2015; 3 (1): 217-219 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 P-ISSN: 2349-6800 Taxonomic studies on two species of genus Calyptra JEZS 2015; 3 (1): 217-219 © 2015 JEZS ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from Kashmir Received: 16-01-2015 Accepted: 26-01-2015 Mudasir A. Dar, Jagbir Singh Kriti Mudasir A. Dar Division of Entomology, Abstract SKUAST-K Shalimar J&K, A comprehensive and a comparative taxonomic account of species of the genus Calyptra Ochsenheimer India is provided herewith. Two species are recognized in the genus: Calyptra rectistria Guenee and Calyptra bicolor Moore. Male and female external genitalic attributes are provided. Supplementary photographs Jagbir Singh Kriti and illustrations are also provided. Both species have been reported for the first time from Kashmir Department of Zoology and Himalayas. Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University Patiala India. Keywords: Comprehensive, Taxonomic, account, Genitalia, Calyptra 1. Introduction Genus Calyptra was first established by Ochsenheimer in 1816 on the type species Phalaena thalictri Borkhausen [1]. While synonymising the generic names Calyptra Ochsenheiner, Oraesia Guenee, cultasta Moore, and Hypocalpe under genus Calpe Treitschke, has reported nine species from India under this genus [2]. Finally reported that Calyptra has priority over [3] Calpe . Reported three new species from India under the genus Calyptra. Out of an estimated of forty species, sub-species, forms and abbreviations, associated with Calyptra on global basis, only seventeen species now belong to the genus, as per recent analysis done by [4]. Described male genitalia of Ophideroides Guenee, fasciate Moore, orthograpta Butler and minuticornis Guenee [5]. Included Calpe Treitschke, Culasta Moore, Hypocalpe Butler and [6] Percalpe Berio as junior synonyms of genus Calyptra .
    [Show full text]
  • (Lepidoptera) Europe PMC Funders Group
    Europe PMC Funders Group Author Manuscript J Res Lepid. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 April 29. Published in final edited form as: J Res Lepid. 2014 December 1; 47: 65–71. Europe PMC Funders Author Manuscripts Evolution of extreme proboscis lengths in Neotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) J. A.-S. Bauder*,1, A. D. Warren2, and H. W. Krenn1 1Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria 2McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, U.S.A. Abstract Exaggerated morphologies have evolved in insects as adaptations to nectar feeding by natural selection. For example, the suctorial mouthparts of butterflies enable these insects to gain access to floral nectar concealed inside deep floral tubes. Proboscis length in Lepidoptera is known to scale with body size, but whether extreme absolute proboscis lengths of nectar feeding butterflies result from a proportional or disproportional increase with body size that differs between phylogenetic lineages remains unknown. We surveyed the range of variation that occurs in scaling relationships between proboscis length and body size against a phylogenetic background among Costa Rican Hesperiidae. We obtained a new record holder for the longest proboscis in butterflies and showed that extremely long proboscides evolved at least three times independently within Europe PMC Funders Author Manuscripts Neotropical Hesperiidae. We conclude that the evolution of extremely long proboscides results from allometric scaling with body size, as demonstrated in hawk moths. We hypothesize that constraints on the evolution of increasingly long butterfly proboscides may come from (1) the underlying scaling relationships, i.e., relative proboscis length, combined with the butterfly’s flight style and flower-visiting behaviour and/or (2) developmental constraints during the pupal phase.
    [Show full text]