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The Life History and Cocoon Spinning Behaviour of a South African Mantispid (Neuroprera : Mantispidae)

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The Life History and Cocoon Spinning Behaviour of a South African Mantispid (Neuroprera : Mantispidae) The Life History and Cocoon Spinning Behaviour of a South African Mantispid (Neuroprera : Mantispidae) J. L. BISSETT and V. C. MORAN Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown The life histories of South African mantispids have not been documented and reports on mantispid biology are generally scarce. As stated by Milliron (1940) it is evident that prior to 1934 most of the information on the biology of this family was based on the classical experiments of Brauer (1869) who worked on a European species Mantispa styriaca Poda. A more recent paper on manrispids by McKeown & Mincham (1948) is an account of the biology of the Australian sp~ciesMantispa uittata Guerin. The reports of Main (1931), Eltringham (1932), Kasron (1938) and Hungerford (1939) do not advance our knowledge of th5;e animals significantly. In the present investigation the life history and cocoon spinning behaviour of a local mantispid was studied. Difficulty was experienced, however, in identifying this mantispid and Tjeder (1966) has said : "Before a rrliable identificarion of mantispid speci- mens from Africa can be done it is necessary toexamine the types of all themany described species. The late Prof. Handschin of Basel has some few- years ago dealt with African species in some large pzpers but I regret to say that I have not found it possible to determine my specimens from these papers only. I think the family is a very difficult one to work with, the variability within the species apparently being great and the genitalia affording less clear distinguishing characters than in most Neuroptera. I do not know of anyone who for the present may be able to determine your material". As a result positive identification of this South African mantispid has not been achieved. However, the animals used in this study were always associated with Cape Chestnut trees, Calodendrurn capense (L.s.) Thunb., and adult specimens have been stored in the National Collection of Insects, Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria under the accession number AcP 5469. This insect will be referred to as the chestnut mantispid in this account. METHODS Methods used for rearing the larvae of the chestnut mantispid were simple but effective and similar to those used by McKeown & Mincham (1948) for rearing M. uittata. The first instar triungulin larvae were placed in a hollowed cork together with suffi- cient spiders' eggs or immature spiders as food. The larvae were observed every 24 hours and measurements taken across the widest point of the body. The animals were maintained at laboratory temperatures (March to June 1966, approximately 15'-20°C.) but at a high humidity which was achieved by enclosing the corks with the larvae in petri-dishes, the bottoms of which were lined with moist filter paper. In the chestnut Bissett and Moran : A South African mantispid 83 mantispid there are only three larval instars and the immature stages feed on the eggs of any spiders and may feed on immature spiders. Even larvae which had fed on the eggs of a single spider species for almost the whole larval life would feed readily when presented with the eggs of a different spider. This lack of host specificity in the chestnut mantispid is in agreement with the findings of several workers (Brauer, 1869, and Poujade, 1898, both cited by Milliron, 1940; Main, 1931; Smith, 1934; Kaston, 1938; and McKeown & Mincham, 1948). Some mantispids however are known to parasitize coleopterans (Werner & Butler, 1965); noctuid pupae (Woglum, 1935, cited by Milli- ron, 1940); and Hymenoptera (Smith, 1863, cited by Milliron, 1940). LIFE HISTORY The life history of the chestnut mantispid may be briefly stated before dealing with each stage in more detail. The eggs take approximately 16 days to hatch and the first stage larvae on emergence are active, campodeiform triungulin larvae which feed on spiders' eggs. From 5-9 days after commencemenx of feeding the triungulin larva moults to a fatter more sluggish second stage larva and 2-5 days later the third stage is reached. By the end of the third stage hypermetamorphosis is complete and after 2-6 days of active feeding in this instar the bloated larva spins a cocoon and the prepupal stage is achieved. A period of 9-15 days quiescence follows before thepupa is formed and the adult emerges 20-28 days later. -" The eggs of the chestnut mantispid are deposited in circular batches on the uppcr surface of leaves of C. capense. Counts of 16 egg batches gave a maximal number of 1;650 eggs, a minimum of 2 14 and a mean of 836 eggs per batch. These figures com- pare with those of Smith (1934) who records a total of 2,200 eggs in six batches for Mantispa saoi Banks and with Clirnaciella brunnea var. accidentalis Banks in which a female deposited 1,028 eggs in a single batch (Hoffmann, 1936, cited by McKeown & Min- cham, 1948). Smith (1934) records that C. brunnea Say lays a total of only 250 eggs per female when in captivity. The eggs themselves (fig. la) are elongate, stalked. with a distinct micropylar cap at the anterior end and are a creamy yellow colour when first laid. The size of the eggs was fairly constant having a length of 0.38 mm and a width of 0.13 mm. Measure- ments of 57 egg stalks from different egg batches showed that they varied in length from 0.38 mm to 1.25 mm with a mean of 0.82 mm. The duration of the egg stage in the chestnut mantispid was only determined from one batch of eggs and was found to be 16 days. This agrees with the results of McKeown & Mincham (1948) from M. vittata where he found an egg duration of 16-18 days in warm weather. First instar laroa Just prior to the emergence of the first instar larva the eggs become darker and the developing larvae can be seen clearly through the egg chorion (fig. Ib). At this stage the larva begins muscular "peristaltic" movements of the body and these movements cause the thoracic region of the larva to be pushed anteriorly thus exerting pressure at the point of rupture in the egg. The "peristaltic" movements cor~tinuefor three or four minutes at intervals of about eight seconds, until eventually the chorion of the egg ruptures. The movements persist and the dorsal part of the prothorax is pushed through the ruptured chorion followed by the head, which is reflexed beneath 84 3.ent. Soc. sth. Afr. Vol. 30, No. 1, 1967 Fig. 1. Chestnut mantispid egg showing the entire egg (la) and the larva in the egg just prior to emergence (lb). E-egg; La-larva; MC-micropylar cap; RPt-rupture point; St-stalk; StB-stalk base. the thoracic segments. Once the chorion has ruptured, emergence is rapid taking between three and four minutes. The "peristaltic" movements force the last segments of the abdomen out of the egg. but the larva remains attached to the ruptured chorion by means of a caudal sucker. The larva now proceeds to free its head, which is attached to the sternite of the fourth abdominal segment by a transparent membrane. This is achieved by manipulating the head, mandibles and labial palpi and the head is freed in five or six minutes. The larva then remains motionless for some minutes, its caudal sucker still attached to the ruptured chorion of the egg and once the integument has hardened, the larva detaches itself. The newly emerged larva (fig. 2a-el, which measured approximately 1.1 mm in length, remains in close proximity to the other mantispid eggs for about two days before becoming active and starting to feed. In M. sbriaca (Brauer, 1869, cited by Milliron, 1940) and M. vittata (McKeown & Mincham, 1948) the newly emerged larvae hibernated for several months. This was not the case with the chestnut mantispid and this species died within 11 days if it had not found a suitable host. The method of location of a suitable host in the chestnut mantispid is obscure. The active triungulin larvae were not attracted to spiders eggs even if the host eggs were placed within a few centimetres of the larvae. The first stage Bissett and Moran : A South African mantispid M x Md MdGr Fig. 2. Chestnut mantispid first instar triungulin larva showing some of the appendages. Pa-entire larva; 2b-left mandible and maxilla; 2c-right antenna; 2d-labial palpi; 2e-mesothoracic leg. Ant-antenna; CPr-cone like projection; CS-caudal sucker; F1-flagellum; Md-mandible; MdGr-mandibular groove; Mx-maxilla; Pdc-pedicel; Scp-scape; Tar-tarsus; TarC1-tarsal claw; Tb-tibia. 86 J. ent. Soc. sth. Afr. Vol. 30, KO.1, 1967 larvae are strong walkers and walking is characteristically accompanied by the head swaying from side to side and the caudal sucker being attached to the ground when the animal pauses. It is possible that host location is as a result of random wanderings on the part of the larvae. It is also a possibility that host location is aided by wind dispersal of the larvae or phoresy. Hungerford (1939) and Kaston (1938) report that mantispid triungulins may attach themselves to the bodies of female spiders and thus are possibly transported to the eggs or immature spiders. In any event once the first stage chestnut mantispid has located a host there is a marked increase in its activity. The larva moves around over the eggs stopping at intervals to apply the antennae, mandibles and labial palpi to the egg surface. About 24 to 48 hours later the pointed mandibles are closely applied to the surface of the spiders' egg and inserted by a series of upwardly directed movements of the head, each mandible then functioning as an individual sucking tube.
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