Distinguishing Adult Pectinophora Scutigera (Holdaway) According to Larval Diet by X-Ray Microanalysis
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Scanning Microscopy Volume 1 Number 2 Article 45 2-26-1987 Distinguishing Adult Pectinophora scutigera (Holdaway) According to Larval Diet by X-Ray Microanalysis R. A. Lewis Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education P. W. Walker University of Queensland Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/microscopy Part of the Life Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Lewis, R. A. and Walker, P. W. (1987) "Distinguishing Adult Pectinophora scutigera (Holdaway) According to Larval Diet by X-Ray Microanalysis," Scanning Microscopy: Vol. 1 : No. 2 , Article 45. Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/microscopy/vol1/iss2/45 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western Dairy Center at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scanning Microscopy by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Scanning Microscopy, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1987 (Pages 871-878) OS91-70JS/S7$J.oo+.oo Scanning Microscopy International, Chicago (AMF O'Hare), IL 60666 USA DISTINGUISHINGADULT PECTINOPHORA SCUTIGERA (HOLDAWAY) ACCORDINGTO LARVALDIET BY X-RAY MICROANALYSIS R A Lewisand P W Walker* Departmentof AppliedPhysics Departmentof Entomology CapricorniaInstitute of AdvancedEducation Universityof Queensland Rockhampton4702 Australia St Lucia4067 Australia (Received for publication June 23, 1986, and in revised form February 26, 1987) Introduction In an exploratorystudy using scanning electron microscope X-rayspectrometric methods have been applied to diverse (SEM)based energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of X-rays, biologicalspecies. For example, Calaprice (1971) studied sockeye differenceswere detected in the elementalcompositions of adult salmonby X-rayfluorescence (XRF) energy dispersive spectroscopy Pectinophorascutigera raised on contrastingdiets - cotton,Hibiscus (EDS). Usingdiscriminant analysis of the spectraldata he was tiliaceusand laboratorymedium. successfulin separatingboth adult and fry salmonon the basisof X-rayspectra were collected from the thorax and abdomen of 13 theirgeographical origins. Kelsalland Burton(1977), with some maleand 13 femalemoths. X-ray yields are optimisedby ashingthe success,applied the sameexperimental and statistical techniques to insectsfor 1 hat 400-60o0c,and by operatingthe SEMat 25 kV. feathersfrom lesser snow geese. Spectrummatching, element matching, discriminant analysis A numberof X-rayspectrometric investigations have been and principalcomponents analysis were used to classifythe directedtowards insects. specimenson the basisof dietwith 54-100%success. Spectra were McLeanand Bennett(1978), using XRF/EDS and discriminant consideredas a wholeor processedusing either a digitalfilter to analysis,found that ambrosia beetles could be readilyseparated on removebackground or a ZAFprogram to computesemiquantitative the basisof geography,sex or the presenceof adhesivefrom sticky elementalconcentrations. Background corrected peaks is the traps. McLean(1980) reported on a practicalextension, identifying favoureddata format, having high discriminating power and being the originsof beetlesfound in the ChemainusSawmill. McLean et al. simpleto obtainand interpret. (1979)separated western spruce budworms on the basisof their Betterclassification is apparentwhen subsets of the samesex, sourcestands. Later, McLean et al. (1983)identified a partitioning bodypart or bothare employed;and when the data for eachelement of elementsin the thoracesand abdomens of theseinsects, and is normalisedto a meanof Oand a standarddeviation of 1. The discoveredthat elemental variations in adultinsects were much chiefdiscriminating elements appear to be F, Na,Mg, P, Cl, Kand smallerthan those in the originalfood sources. Ca withSi, S, Mn,Fe andZn beingof littleassistance. Anothersubstantial contribution to the entomologicalexploitation of X-rayanalysis is a seriesof papersby Bowdenand co-workers. The first in the series(Bowden et al. 1984)concerned the moth Noctuapronuba, the subjectof a previousstudy (Bowden et al. 1979).XRF/wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) was employedin bothcases. Principalcomponents analysis (PCA) gave no discriminationuntil subsets were considered. When this was done, not onlycould insects from different host plants be distinguished,but also insectsfrom the samehost plant growing on differentsoils. Thesecond article (Bowden et al. 1985a)examined two species of aphid,using SEM/EDS. No discriminationwas discernible for any aphidspecies, element, plant or soilsubset. The third paper (Bowdenet al. 1985b)again examined the sametwo aphid species, but collectedfrom different host plants and with a refinedPCA, and reportedsuccessful discrimination. Another moth, Agrotis segetum, wasthe subjectof a fourthpaper (Sherlock et al. 1985),in which robustmeans PCA was appliedto XRF/WDSdata. Providedhost plantsubsets were considered separately, the mothscould be differentiatedon the basisof soil type. A fifthpaper {Sherlock et al. 1986)examined two aphidmorphs collected at variouslocalities KEYWORDS: Insects, pink-spotted bollworm, X-ray microanalysis, mainlyfrom the samehost plant, using SEM/EDS. While the morphs bulkbiological specimens, energy dispersive spectroscopy. werewell differentiated, there was no clearseparation, in either morph,on the basisof hostplant locality. *Address for correspondence: Preliminaryreports on anotherX-ray study of moths,~ PW Walker species,have been given by Fill (1985,1986). Dempsteret al. Departmentof Entomology (1986)have conducted XRF/WDS studies of the Brimstonebutterfly. Universityof Queensland Compositionaldifferences were observed between insects of St Lucia4067 differentsexes, sites and seasons, but the hostplant differences Australia PhoneNo +61 7 3773658 diminishedas the adultsfed andaged. 871 R.A. Lewis and P.W. Walker Thebroad conclusion that maybe drawnfrom this literature The maindata base comprised X-ray spectra from 26 moths. Of surveyis thatX-ray methods for geographicallydiscriminating the26 moths,5 of eachsex (M, F) camefrom cotton (C), 5 of each insectshave met with mixed success. In someinstances, at least, sexfrom laboratory medium (L) and3 of eachsex from H. tiliaceus for identifiablereasons or unknown,there is a lackof any (H). Thethorax (T) and abdomen (A) of eachmoth were examined measurablecompositional variation in insectsfrom different sources. separately,yielding a totalof 52 spectra.The abbreviations we Thesubject of thepresent study is the pink-spottedbollworm, employto referto datasubsets having the same sex and body part Pectinophorascutigera (Holdaway) (Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae), a are MT,MA, FT and FA. seriouspest of cottonin CentralQueensland. Larvae tunnel into SEM/EDSsystem developingcotton bolls damaging lint andseed. Of particularinterest Theprepared specimens were placed in an ISl-60ASEM. for all is the questionas to howpopulations carry over from one season to the measurements,the working distance was fixed at 53 mmand the next. Sabine(1969) stressed the importanceof post-harvest theworking magnification was 1000x. Thespecimens were cottontrash, containing infested bolls, and considered alternative irradiatedwith 30 keVelectrons, the highestenergy available, o hostplants to be of littlesignificance. However, the recentdiscovery ensureany elementswith highatomic number were excited. During of additionalhost plants (Walker and Harris1985) suggests that theacquisition of the database, no elementswith Z>29 were alternativehost plants may play a significantrole in thecarry over detected. of mothpopulations. It is towardinvestigating this possibility that Later,to ascertainthe optimumbeam voltage, a seriesof X-ray the methoddescribed here will be directed. spectrawere obtained at electronenergies of 15,20, 25 and30 keV. The purposeof this paperis to demonstratethat the larvaldiet A singleset of 5 specimens(male moths from cotton) was used in of adultbollworms can be deducedwith a goodchance of success, this investigation. andto suggestsome ways to improvethe successrate. The X-raycollection and sorting was via a PGT4system. The methodset forthhere is notclaimed to be the bestpossible means of X-raydetector was located27 mmabove the fecimen and21 mm discriminatingP. scutigera.A methodmeriting such a claimmight be fromthe beamaxis; the take-offangle was 52 . X-rayspectra expectedto includea completequantitative elemental analysis of werecollected for 200s. Thebeam current was measured using a eachmoth as wellas to takeinto account other variables - Faradaycup beforeand after each spectrum. Each X-ray spectrum colouration,body weight, moisture content, age and so on. The wastransferred through an RS232interface to an IBMPersonal proposedmethod does not require an accurateanalysis of the Computer(IBM PC) for furtherprocessing. detectedelements. It is generallyrecognised that quantitative Dataformat analysisof bulkbiological specimens by EDSis difficultand prone to TheX-ray spectral data was presented for statisticalanalysis substantialerror (Roomans 1980, Heinrich 1982, Boekestein et al. in threeforms. Thesewill be describedin orderof increasing 1980). Detectionof all the elementspresent in the specimenshas spectrumprocessing. notbeen attempted. Most EDS systems have a loweratomic First,the rawchannel-by-channel data was used. The energy numberlimit of Z=9,although windowless detectors may be pressed calibrationwas 20 eV perchannel. The lowerthreshold on the main to Z=4(Marshall 1984). Hydrocarbons are thereforedifficult and amplifierrejected