印度那加蘭地區野生天蠶蛾類的多樣性與生態學

Diversity and ecology of wild sericigenous insects in Nagaland, India.

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文獻來源: LN Kakati & BC Chutia. 2009. Diversity and ecology of wild sericigenous insects in Nagaland, India. Tropical Ecology 50(1): 137-146

Abstract: This paper deals with the diversity of wild sericigenous insects i.e., silk producing moths in Nagaland, a small mountainous state of north eastern India. A periodic survey conducted during 2004-2006 revealed the presence of 14 species belonging to 8 genera i.e. Antheraea, Actias, Attacus, Archaeoattacus, Cricula, Loepa, Samia, Sonthonnaxia and a large number of host plants. However, only four species are commercially exploited in Nagaland at present and there remains a great scope for producing novel silk from Actias selene, Antheraea roylei, Samia canningi and Cricula trifenestrata. The egg, worm, cocoon and adult stages of certain species have been studied for character evaluation and categorization. The paper emphasizes the importance of these lesser known silk producing insects, causal factors for depletion of population density and advocates for great need for conservation of wild silk moths and their ecological environment in Nagaland. Further, the paper highlights the socioeconomic perspective of rearing and utilizing wild silk moths by the forest dwelling tribal people who could play a major role in conserving these insects and their habitats.

以成蟲形態證據重建天蠶蛾科Arsenurinae亞科親緣關係

影像連結自此

Cladistic analysis of the subfamily Arsenurinae (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae) basedon adult morphology

文獻來源: de Camargo AJA, Mielke OHH & Casagrande MM. 2009. Cladistic analysis of the subfamily Arsenurinae (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae) based on adult morphology. Zootaxa 2218: 1-34, plates.

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簡介
Arsenurinae亞科被認為是一群包含63種10屬，且僅分布於新世界的天蠶蛾類群。由過去的研究中得到此類群共同的外部形態特徵有體多呈灰褐色(除Almeidaia)、後翅(由其是雄蟲者)延伸形成尾突以及腹部第一節具有成對的毛束等，各族與屬級間的親緣關係亦有文章討論，而本文則主要是針對此亞科的單系性進行分析。在材料上作者共取得了63種中的61種Arsenurinae亞科物種作為內群，外群選用過去研究被認為與Arsenurinae亞科關係較近的Ceratocampinae與Oxyteninaeu亞科各一種。方法上使用近年來漸被形態分析研究者所採納的軟體NONA進行親緣關係重建。作者選用的特徵組中將多數雌雄蟲結構分成不同特徵來討論，所分析的40組二態與多態特徵包含了頭部觸角、胸部結構與足部距刺有無、前後翅形狀、翅脈相與翅顏色斑紋、腹部第一節毛束有無以及雄雌蟲生殖器結構。所得的結果顯示此亞科確實為一單系群，同時各族級與屬級的單系性與親緣關係也被支持與並重建。

Abstract
The family Saturniidae is distributed on all continents except polar areas, and includes about 1528 species in 162 genera, being the group with the largest diversity among Bombycoidea. Approximately 970 species are known from the New World. However, recent molecular studies indicate 1861 species in 162 genera and nine subfamilies. The family Arsenurinae consists of 63 species distributed exclusively in ten Neotropical genera, with phylogenetic relationships poorly understood. The goal of this study was to test the monophyly of the subfamily, tribes and genera using cladistic analysis of adult morphological characters. The subfamily, tribes and genera were all recovered as monophyletic groups with the following relationships among genera: (Almeidaia ((Loxolomia, Copiopteryx) ((Rhescyntis) ((Grammopelta, Arsenura) ((Caio) ((Dysdaemonia, Titaea) Paradaemonia)))))). Both tribes, Arsenurini and Almeidaiini, share several characters, but morphological study of Almeidaiini demonstrates that it also presents significant differences.

雌性普羅大蠶蛾交配多次具有何種功能？

photo by natural born hikers

The Function of Multiple Mating by Female Promethea Moths, Callosamia promethea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Eugene S. Morton
The American Midland Naturalist Jul 2009 : Vol. 162, Issue 1, pg(s) 7-18 doi: 10.1674/0003-0031-162.1.7

作者在半自然的條件下對普羅大蠶蛾(Callosamia promethea)與鵝掌楸蠶蛾(C. angulifera) 進行一妻多夫現象之比較。普羅大蠶蛾是天蠶蛾科中首先被文獻描述具有一妻多夫制的種類，而鵝掌楸蠶蛾則是一夫制的。實驗顯示一妻多夫和一妻一夫的普羅大蠶蛾雌性可達到近似的卵受精率，但是多夫的雌性能多產下10%的卵，具有顯著的差異。這些差異是從同一棵寄主植物上取食的五個普羅大蠶蛾手足群體中發現的。一妻多夫的普羅大蠶蛾具有的較高生殖力與雌性的體型、交配持續時間、卵的大小或數量、產卵的天數或屬於何手足群體均沒有關連。所有的雌性在產卵期尾聲時的卵尺寸均較小，體型小的雌蛾在產卵期中較早產下多量的卵。分別的標記再捕捉法研究顯示雄性的普羅大蠶蛾也交配多次（一夫多妻）、且在擇偶偏好上喜好未交配過的處女蛾。日間交配的普羅大蠶蛾可能可增加遺傳多樣性 與/和 由多夫制中得到來自精液的贈與。夜行性的天蠶蛾科物種均為一夫制，可能導因於產卵與交配兩者的時間衝突凌駕於多夫制的好處之上。若多夫制可增加繁殖力，則可推測在其他的日行性天蠶蛾中也會發生。

Abstract

Promethea (Callosamia promethea) and tulip tree silk moths (C. angulifera) were compared under semi-natural conditions for the presence of polyandry. Promethea were polyandrous, the first documentation for a saturniid moth, whereas tulip tree moths were monandrous. Experiments showed that polyandrous and monandrous promethea females achieved similar egg fertility, but polyandrous females laid 10% more eggs, a significant difference (P < 0.05). This difference was found in five sibling groups, whose larvae were reared on the same individual food plant. Higher fecundity for polyandrous promethea females was not related to female size, duration of copulation, egg size and number, number of days in laying period or sibling group. Egg size declined later in the laying period for all females. Small females laid more eggs earlier in the laying period than large females. A separate mark/recapture study showed that male promethea also mate multiple times (polygyny) and distinguish virgin from nonvirgin females in mating preference. The diurnally mating promethea may gain increased genetic variability and/or possibly seminal gifts from polyandry. Monandry in totally nocturnal saturniid moths may result from a time conflict between egg laying and mating, which overrides the benefits of polyandry. If polyandry increases fecundity, it is predicted to occur in other diurnally mating saturniids.

Received: March 3, 2008; Accepted: April 21, 2008

這是啥唧唧聲? 天蠶蛾幼蟲的超聲波與聲響警訊

What’s the buzz? Ultrasonic and sonic warning signals in caterpillars of the great peacock moth (Saturnia pyri)

Veronica L. Bura & Alan J. Fleming & Jayne E. Yack

幼蟲在面對許多天敵的情形下發展出不同的禦敵策略。多數的研究著眼於以視覺導引捕食者的策略，如偽裝、背腹顏色對比的隱蔽色與警戒色。然而，防禦性的聲音雖然已被報導了超過一百年，卻仍鮮少受到研究。作者在常見的歐洲大孔雀眼天蠶蛾(European Great Peacock moth, Saturnia pyri) 幼蟲上發現一新型態的聲音產生—唧唧聲(chirping)。 這種唧唧聲是由大顎的”齒”進行快速而連續的敲擊所發出 ，頻率主要集中在聲波 (3.7 kHz)與超聲波(55.1 kHz) 之間。一系列的敲擊聲可由模擬捕食者的攻擊而引發，表皮的刺毛會同時或在敲擊聲後分泌防禦性化學物質，支持作者認為此行為是聲音的警戒行為之假說。作者認為這些幼蟲針對擁有不同主要感覺方式的天敵們(鳥、蝙蝠與無脊椎動物)發展出多重的警告訊號: 視覺、化學與聲音。

Abstract
Caterpillars have many natural enemies and, therefore, have evolved a diversity of antipredator strategies. Most research focuses on those strategies (crypsis, countershading, and warning coloration) targeting visually guided predators. In contrast, defensive sounds, although documented for more than a century, have been poorly studied. We report on a novel form of sound production— chirping—in caterpillars of the common European Great Peacock moth (Saturnia pyri). Chirps are broadband, with dominant peaks ranging between the sonic (3.7 kHz) and ultrasonic (55.1 kHz) and are generated by a rapid succession of mandibular “tooth strikes.” Chirp trains are induced by simulated predator attacks and precede or accompany the secretion of a defensive chemical from integumental bristles, supporting our hypothesis that these sounds function in acoustic aposematism. We propose that these caterpillars generate multimodal warning signals (visual, chemical, and acoustic) to target the dominant sensory modalities of different predators, including birds, bats, and invertebrates.

受保護之西班牙水青蛾的十個多型性微衛星體基因座之特性

photo by:TPittaway

Characterization of ten polymorphic microsatellite markers for the protected Spanish moon moth Graellsia isabelae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

M. Vila, N. Mari Mena, S-H. Yen & C. Lopez-Vaamonde (2009)
Conservation Genetics. DOI 10.1007/s10592-009-9905-1

本研究發展出十個西班牙月蛾的多型性微衛星體基因座。作者對來自一個西班牙族群(Els-Ports-de-Beseit, Catalonia)的20個個體、39個來自法國山區的個體和6個來自西班牙其他地點的個體進行多型性的評估。整體而言，基因座上的對偶基因數量範圍為 5-24個。 Els-Ports-de-Beseit族群每個基因座上的平均對偶基因數量是 9.80 (SD = 4.32)，異型合子比例為 0.71 (SD = 0.226)，異型合子比例的期望值是0.788 (SD = 0.146)。Catalonia族群的基因型頻率符合哈溫平衡，且沒有觀察到連鎖不平衡的證據。由這組標誌所得之多基因座基因型將可應用在判斷此高度保育蛾種的遺傳岐異度與族群間的分化。有一些基因座在兩種近緣種上被找到且具有多型性: 在Actias neidhoeferi (姬長尾水青蛾)上有兩個基因座，A. luna則有三個。

Abstract Ten polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for Graellsia isabelae. Polymorphism was assessed for 20 individuals from a Spanish population (Els-Ports-de-Beseit, Catalonia) and 39 more individuals from bone population in the French Alps and six other Spanish localities. Overall, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 24. Els-Ports-de-Beseit showed an average number of alleles per locus of 9.80 (SD = 4.32), observed heterozygosity was 0.71 (SD = 0.226), and expected heterozygosity was 0.788 (SD = 0.146). Genotypic frequencies conformed to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium at the Catalonian population, and no evidence for linkage disequilibrium was observed. Multilocus genotypes resulting from this set of markers will be useful to determine genetic diversity and differentiation within and among populations of this highly protected moth. Several loci amplified and resulted polymorphic in two related species: two loci in Actias neidhoeferi, and three loci in A. luna.

Graellsia isabelae 研究群: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) - Centre d'Orléans 網站

尾突也可抽DNA- 保育類蛾種的非致死取樣方法之效果

photo by: José Miguel Nieto Ojeda

Effect of non-lethal sampling on life-history traits of the protected moth Graellsia isabelae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)
Ecological Entomology (Accepted 4 December 2008, 將於2009近期出刊,尚未上線)

M . Vila ¹, M . A . Auger-Rozenberg² , F. Goussard ²and C . Lopez-Vaamonde^2
1 Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of A Coruna, A Coruna, Spain and ² INRA, UR 633 Zoologie Forestière, Orléans, France

在昆蟲方面使用非致死的取樣方法通常是由一隻腳或翅膀的一部分中萃取DNA，雖然比殺死動物以取得樣本更好，但關於缺少一隻腳或一部分翅膀對昆蟲個體的生存或繁衍有何影響並不清楚。Graellsia isabelae是一種受到生境指令與伯恩公約保護的歐洲蛾類，在保育遺傳學上的取樣必須採用非致死方式，作者的研究目標是(1)量化從腳和後翅尾突取得DNA樣本對於雌雄成蟲的生存和繁殖的影響，以及(2)評估由這些組織中萃取DNA的量與品質。結果顯示後翅尾突和中足都是品質良好的核DNA與粒線體DNA來源，且取自大於130mm²的後翅尾突的DNA濃度顯著高於來自大約半截中足的DNA濃度。對成蟲進行捉放法的結果顯示無論是後翅尾突或是中足被取樣，對於雄性的存活率或交配總次數都沒有顯著的減少；然而雖然少了中足對於母蛾的生存沒有顯著影響，卻對其能否成功交配有負面的影響。修剪雄蛾後翅對G. isabelae而言似乎是最好的非致死取樣方式，既快速又與自然造成的翅膀損傷類似，對其生存或交配行為沒有顯著影響。

Abstract
1. Non-lethal genetic surveys in insects usually extract DNA from a leg or a piece of wing. Although preferable to lethal sampling, little is known about the effect of leg/wing non-lethal sampling on fitness-related traits. 2. Graellsia isabelae (Graells, 1849) is a European moth protected by the Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention. Conservation genetics surveys on this species should therefore use non-lethal sampling. 3. The present study aimed to (1) quantify the effects of both leg and hind-wing tail sampling on survivorship and reproductive behaviour of adult males and females, and (2) assess the quality and quantity of DNA obtained from those tissues. 4. Both hind-wing tails and mid-legs proved to be good sources of high quality nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. DNA concentration was significantly higher when extracted from a large (130 mm 2 ) piece of the hind-wing tails than from about half of the mid-leg. Using mark – release – recapture experiments with adults, it was found that neither midleg nor hind-wing tail sampling significantly reduced male survivorship or total number of matings. However, although mid-leg sampling did not significantly affect female survivorship, it had a negative effect on female mating success. 5. Wing-tail clipping on males appeared to be the best non-lethal sampling procedure for G. isabelae . It is a fast procedure, similar to natural wing impairment, and did not significantly affect survival or mating behaviour.

非洲皇蛾的幼生期形態：有助重建天蠶蛾亞科親緣關係之特徵

Morphology of the preimaginal stages of the African emperor moth Bunaeopsis licharbas (Maassen and Weyding): phylogenetically informative characters within the Saturniinae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Journal of Morphology 269(2):207 - 232 | References | Full Text: PDF (Size: 1570K)

Rougerie R, Estradel Y. (2008)

Département Systématique et Evolution, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, USM 602, CP 50, F-75231 Paris, France. rrougeri@uoguelph.ca

Abstract
The current classification of African representatives of the family Saturniidae is largely unsatisfactory and needs to be revised following a proper and rigorous phylogenetic analysis. In this regard, the use of characters of preimaginal stages in phylogeny reconstruction was already emphasized in the literature; however, few details are known about the morphology of the eggs, larvae, and pupae of these moths. To fill this gap and to provide a preliminary basis for further phylogenetic studies, the early stages of Bunaeopsis licharbas, a member of the tribe Bunaeini within the Saturniinae, are described. Egg chorionic ultrastructure, chaetotaxy of the larva in every instar, and morphology of the pupa are described and illustrated. A total of 22 previously overlooked characters was found and their potential phylogenetic significance is discussed in the light of a comparative study which includes a large set of representatives of all five tribes in the subfamily. Until further phylogenetic analyses, some characters are considered to be potential synapomorphies supporting, in particular, the monophyly of the tribe Bunaeini, the close relationship between this tribe and part of the Urotini, as well as the existence of an Afrotropical lineage within the Saturniinae uniting the tribes Bunaeini, Urotini, and Micragonini. In a group of moths whose preimaginal instars are among the best known within the Lepidoptera, the unexpected, and relatively high number of potentially informative characters found by the present study stresses the value of minute and exhaustive descriptive studies to make use of morphological characters available for phylogenetic studies.

圖片來源: lepbarcoding

以四個蛋白質編碼基因重建天蠶蛾科之親緣關係

Phylogenetic relationships of wild silkmoths (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) inferred from four protein-coding nuclear genes Systematic Entomology, Volume 33, Number 2, April 2008 , pp. 219-228(10)

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JEROME C. REGIER 1 , MICHAEL C . GRANT 1,2 , CHARLES MITTER 2 , CHRISTOPHER P . COOK 1,2 , RICHARD S . PEIGLER 3 and RODOLPHE ROUGERIE 4

1 Center for Biosystems Research, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.,
2 Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.,
3 Department of Biology, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A. and
4 Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

The Saturniidae, or wild silkmoths, number approximately 1861 species in 162 genera and nine subfamilies including Cercophaninae and Oxyteninae. They include some of the largest and most spectacular of all Lepidoptera, such as the moon or luna moths, atlas moths, emperor moths, and many others. Saturniids have been important as sources of wild silk and/or human food in a number of cultures, and as models for comparative studies of genetics, development, physiology, and ecology. Seeking to improve the phylogenetic framework for such studies, we estimated relationships across Saturniidae, sampling all nine subfamilies plus all five tribes of Saturniinae. Seventy-five exemplars (45 Saturniidae plus 30 bombycoid outgroups) were sequenced for four protein-coding nuclear gene regions (5625 bp total), namely CAD (the fusion protein carbamoylphosphate synthetase/aspartate transcarbamylase/dihydroorotase), DDC (dopa decarboxylase), period, and wingless. The data, analyzed by parsimony and likelihood, gave a strongly resolved phylogeny at all levels. Relationships among subfamilies largely mirrored the pre-cladistic hypothesis of Michener, albeit with significant exceptions, and there was definitive support for the morphology-based proposal that Ludiinae form a tribe (Micragonini) within Saturniinae. In the latter subfamily, the African tribe Urotini was shown to be paraphyletic with respect to Bunaeini and Micragonini, also in accord with recent morphological findings. Relationships within the New World subfamilies Arsenurinae, Ceratocampinae and Hemileucinae nearly always accord with previous morphology-based phylogenies when both are clearly resolved. Within Hemileucinae, Hemileucini are paraphyletic with respect to the monotypic Polythysanini. A preliminary biogeographical analysis supports ancestral restriction to the New World, followed by dispersal and/or vicariance splitting most of the family into a largely New World versus a largely Old World clade.