Comparison of reproductive and flight capacity of Loxostege sticticalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), developing from diapause and non-diapause larvae.
The beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), uses both diapause and migration as life history strategies. To determine the role of diapause plays in the population dynamics of L. sticticalis, the reproductive and flight potentials of adults originating  from diapause and nondiapause larvae were investigated under controlled laboratory conditions. Preoviposition period, lifetime fecundity, and daily egg production of females originating from diapause larvae were not significantly different from those originating from nondiapause larvae, showing  that diapause has no significant effect on reproductive capacity when adults are provided with an adequate carbohydrate source. However, females that developed from diapause larvae lived significantly longer than those from nondiapause larvae. Flight capacity, including flight duration, distance  and velocity of 3-d-old adults were all significantly greater in adults originating from diapause larvae than those from nondiapause larvae. L. sticticalis adults developing from diapause larvae tended to have more extreme values of longest flight duration and furthest flight distance  than those from nondiapause larvae. Together, these results suggest that long-distance flight potential of L. sticticalis is greater after larval diapause than after direct development to adulthood. However, there were no significant differences between sexes within the two categories  of moths in terms of total flight duration, total flight distance, flight velocity, and longest flight duration.
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests; Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing 100193, China.
Daosong
D
Xie
Lizhi
L
Luo
Thomas W
TW
Sappington
Xingfu
X
Jiang
Lei
L
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005426:Flight, Animal; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009036:Moths / Q000502:physiology*; D052287:Oviparity; D012098:Reproduction