Ornithol Sci 11: 77 – 85 (2012) ORIGINAL ARTICLE Relationships between nest-dwelling Lepidoptera and their owl hosts Yoshitsugu NASU1,#, Shiro MURAHAMA2, Hiroyuki MATSUMURO3, Keisuke UEDA4, Toshiya HIROWATARI5 and Yutaka YOSHIYASU6 1 153–2, Nakado, Hashimoto, Wakayama 648–0023 Japan 2 Wildlife Conservation Laboratory Co. Ltd., 1–2–40–402, Miyahara, Yodogawa, Osaka 532–0003 Japan 3 Japan Bird Rescue Association, 3918, Oyamada-cho, Kawachinagano, Osaka 586–0094 Japan 4 College of Science, Rikkyo University, 3–34–1, Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo 171–8501 Japan 5 Entomological Laboratory, Osaka Prefecture University, 1–1, Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599–8531 Japan 6 Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Kyoto Prefectural University, Shimogamo, Kyoto 606–8522 Japan Abstract Lepidoptera fauna of five owl species nests were investigated in Japan. ORNITHOLOGICAL Seventeen moth species were identified: Niditinea striolella (Tineidae), Agonopterix SCIENCE sp. (Elachistidae) from Blakiston’s Fish Owl, Ketupa blakistoni, nests; Monopis lon- © The Ornithological Society gella (= pavlovskii), M. flavidorsalis, M. sp., M. congestella, Niditinea baryspilas, N. of Japan 2012 striolella, N. sp. (Tineidae), Martyringa ussuriella (Oecophoridae), Mabra charonia- lis (Crambidae), Pyralis regalis (Pyralidae) from Ural Owl, Strix uralensis, nests; Tinea translucens, Niditinea baryspilas (Tineidae) from Brown Hawk-Owl, Ninox scutulata, nests; Opogona sacchari, O. sp., Phaeoses sp. (Tineidae) from Collared Scops Owl, Otus lempiji, nests; and Opogona sacchari, Phaeoses sp., Setomorpha sp. (Tineidae), Endotricha theonalis (Pyralidae) from Ryukyu Scops Owl, Otus elegans, nests. The moth nest fauna varied among owl species. The differences were related to owl prey (fish, small animals and birds, insects) and habitats (urban area, forest), and the tineid species selecting the nest. Tineids are presumed to decompose keratin found in owl nests and help maintain the cleanliness of the nest chamber, and such relationships between tineids and owls may be mutualistic. Rapid burrowing into owl nest materi- als by tineids may reflect a strategy to avoid being preyed upon by the nest owners. Key words Detritus, Ecosystem engineer, Nest-dwelling, Symbiosis, Tineidae Birds modify their environments by activities such alba (Hicks 1959), and five species of Tineidae have as nest construction, and hence act as ecosystem been found in the nests of Finnish Ural Owl, Strix engineers (Jones et al. 1994). Other organisms, espe- uralensis (Jalava 1980). cially insects, utilize bird nests as habitats (Nordberg From 2006 to 2011, the lepidopteran fauna in the 1936; Woodroffe 1953; Hicks 1959, 1962; Whelan et nests of five owl species: Blakiston’s Fish Owl, Ket- al. 2008); however, few studies have focused on the upa blakistoni, Ural Owl, Brown Hawk-Owl, Ninox relationships between insects and birds. scutulata, Collared Scops Owl, Otus lempiji, and Only fragmentary investigations have been made Ryukyu Scops Owl, O. elegans, was surveyed in of Lepidoptera in owl nests; nevertheless, Tinea sp. Japan. As a result of the investigations, 17 moth spe- (Tineidae), Gerdana sp. (Blastobasidae) and Alucita cies were identified (12 tineids, one oecophorid, one huebneri (Alucitidae) have been reported from nests elachistid, two pyralids and one crambid) of which, of North American Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, Hof- five tineids and one oecophorid had been reported mannophila pseudopretella (Oecophoridae) has been previously from Ural Owl nests by Nasu et al. (2007a, noted from the nests of European Barn Owl, Tyto 2008) and Huang et al. (2011). Here we provide data on the 17 moth species found, and discuss the role of (Received 26 March 2012; Accepted 6 May 2012) owls as ecosystem engineers and the relationships # Corresponding author, E-mail: [email protected] between the moths and the birds. 77 Y. NASU et al. Fig. 1. Map of owl nest localities, Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS All of the moth specimens are preserved in the collection of the Entomological laboratory of Osaka Detritus was collected from the bottom of a range Prefecture University, Sakai, Osaka, Japan. of natural nests, and detritus and wood chip remains (provided as artificial nest material) was collected RESULTS from nest boxes from which young owls fledged (see Fig. 1). The detritus was put into rearing cases at 1) Blakiston’s Fish Owl 25°C in an incubator or at room temperature with a Two nests supported the tineid moth Niditinea stri- natural photoperiod cycle, the larvae in the detritus olella (Fig. 2g), and similarly two nests supported the were allowed to develop and the adult moths that elachistid moth Agonopterix sp. (Fig. 2n; Table 1). In emerged were then identified. addition, two tineid larvae, probably N. striolella, Most owl nests studied were in forests, although were found in one nest. The nest detritus consisted Brown Hawk-Owl nests were in urban areas. The mainly of decaying wood chips, a few owl down nest numbers and dates were as follows: Blakiston’s feathers, and fish scales. Fish Owl: in 2007–2011, one natural nest and 13 nest boxes were investigated in Hokkaido (for con- 2) Ural Owl servation reasons exact nest localities are not given Moths were incubated from most nests, with a this endangered species); Ural Owl: in 2006–2011, range of species represented: seven tineids, four two natural nests and 57 nest boxes in 21 localities, Monopis including an unknown species (Fig. 2c), 11 prefectures; Brown Hawk-Owl: in 2009 and 2010, three Niditinea including an unknown species (Fig. five natural nests and one nest box in six localities, 2i), one oecophorid, Martyringa ussuriella (Fig. 2m), three prefectures; Collared Scops Owl: in 2007 and one crambid, Mabra charonialis (Fig. 2o) and one 2008, nine nest boxes in Kunigami-son, Okinawa Is., pyralid, Pyralis regalis (Fig. 2p; Table 2). Of these, Okinawa Prefecture; Ryukyu Scops Owl: in 2007 and Monopis longella (= pavlovskii) (Fig. 2a), M. flavi- 2008, six nest boxes in Kunigami-son, Okinawa Is., dorsalis (Fig. 2b), M. congestella (Fig. 2d), Niditinea Okinawa Prefecture, and in 2007–2009, nine natural baryspilas (Fig. 2f) and N. striolella predominated. A nests and two nest boxes on Minami-daito Is., great number of Monopis longella were reared, with Okinawa Prefecture. over 328 moths per nest. From the nest detritus col- 78 Nest-dwelling Lepidoptera and owls Fig. 2. Lepidoptera from owl nests (a-l, Tineidae; m, Oecophoridae; n, Elachistidae; o, Crambidae; p, q, Pyralidae). a, Monopis longella (= pavlovskii); b, M. flavidorsalis; c, M. sp.; d, M. congestella; e, Tinea translucens; f, Niditinea baryspilas; g, N. striolella; h, Opogona sacchari; i, Niditinea sp.; j, Opogona sp.; k, Phaeoses sp.; l, Setomorpha sp.; m, Martyringa ussuriella; n, Agonopterix sp.; o, Mabra charonialis; p, Pyralis regalis; q, Endotricha theonalis. Table 1. Number of Lepidoptera from Blakiston’s Fish Owl, Ketupa blakistoni, nests in Japan. Date detritus Tineidae Elachistidae Locality Nest collected Niditinea striolella larval case Agonopterix sp. Hokkaido Nest box Oct. 26, 2007 6* 2*** Oct. 26, 2007 10* 1*** Aug. 11, 2011 2** * larvae, moths developed in Feb., 2008; ** probably Niditinea striolella; *** adults. 79 Table 2. Number of Lepidoptera from Ural Owl, Strix uralensis, nests in Japan. Tineidae Oecophoridae Pyralidae Crambidae Date detritus Locality Nest collected Monopis longella Monopis Monopis Monopis Niditinea Niditinea Niditinea Martyringa Pyralis Mabra (= pavlovskii) flavidorsalis sp. congestella baryspilas striolella sp. ussuriella regalis charonialis Aomori Aomori Natural nest Jul. 9, 2007 1 Yamanashi Fujiyoshida Nest box May 2, 2007* 115 + May 8, 2007** 2 Nagano Nagano Nest box Jul. 20, 2009 7+ 5+ 1+ Aichi Okazaki Nest box Jun. 26, 2007 37 80 59 Jun. 26, 2007 328+ 12 Jul. 12, 2009 28+ 6+ 58+ Jul. 12, 2009 7+ 1+ Jul. 17, 2010 18 6 Toyota Nest box Jul. 17, 2010 13+ 57+ Jul. 17, 2010 1 1 Nishio Nest box Jul. 12, 2009 9+ 1+ Kira Nest box Jul. 12, 2009 25+ 38+ 5+ Kouda Nest box Jul. 12, 2009 64+ 1+ Shiga Takashima Nest box Sep. 29, 2006 2 Jul. 7, 2007 26 6 18 5 NASUetal. Y. Jul. 4, 2009 11 + 1+ 6+ 1+ 1+ Kyoto Ujitabaru Nest box Jul. 12, 2009 8+ 1+ 9+ 1+ 1+ 80 Nara Ikoma Nest box Jul. 11, 2010 2 Osaka Minoh Nest box Jun. 25, 2006 40+ 2 Jun. 16, 2007 6 Aug. 8, 2010 2 3 Hirakata Nest box Jun. 25, 2006 14 100+ 1 Jun. 16, 2007 3 1 Jun. 16, 2007 5 23 Jul. 6, 2008 166 1 18 22 Jul. 18, 2009 43 9 66 11 1 Aug. 8, 2010 71 2 Shijonawate Nest box Jul. 6, 2008 36 30+ Jul. 6, 2008 24 23 Katano Natural nest Jun. 16, 2007 1 Daito Nest box Jun. 6, 2008 8 8 40 Kawachinagano Nest box Jul. 19, 2009 1 5 Aug. 7, 2010 2 Aug. 7, 2010 8 9 58 Jul. 9, 2011 5 Wakayama Hashimoto Nest box Jun. 17, 2006 100+ 1 3 Aug. 26, 2007 1 Aug. 26, 2007*** 2 Jul. 9, 2011 2+ 5 Miyazaki Miyakonojo Nest box Aug. 1, 2010 13 3 * nest detritus in 2006; ** nest reused by Parus spp.; *** nest reused by Petaurista leucogenys Nest-dwelling Lepidoptera and owls Table 3. Number of Lepidoptera from Brown Hawk-Owl, Ninox scutulata, nests in Japan. Tineidae Date detritus Locality Nest collected Tinea Niditinea translucens baryspilas Kyoto Kyoto Nest box Oct. 15, 2010 1 Miyazaki Miyakonojo Natural nest Aug. 1, 2009 10+* Miyazaki Aug. 3, 2009 2 22+ * larvae Table 4. Number of Lepidotpera from scops owls, Otus spp., nests in Okinawa, Japan. Tineidae Pyralidae Date detritus Owls Locality Nest collected Opogona Opogona Phaeoses Setomor- Endotricha sacchari sp. sp. pha sp. theonalis Collared Kunigami, Nest box Jul. 8, 2007 1 Scops Owl, Okinawa Is. Jul. 8, 2007 3 1 Otus lempiji Jul. 19, 2007 1 4 Jul. 19, 2007 7+ Jul. 13, 2008 1 Ryukyu Kunigami, Nest box Jul. 15, 2008 2 2 Scops Owl, Okinawa Is.