林地領域性蝶種以視覺偵測配偶及從事求偶飛行與太陽光斑大小之相關性

photo by Zéza Lemos

Visual mate detection and mate flight pursuit in relation to sunspot size in a woodland territorial butterfly

Animal Behaviour Volume 78, Issue 1, July 2009, Pages 17-23
Martin BergmanCorresponding ^a ,Christer Wiklunda
^a Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Sweden

據領域具有相當可觀的利益。雄性的斑點木蝶（Pararge aegeria）在開放森林棲地的太陽光斑上飛行，勝利的一方成為光斑的佔有者，而落敗的一方則沒有領地且只能在小的光斑中坐等雌蝶。先前研究發現,雖然雌性並未特別受到領地佔有者或者光斑領域本身的吸引，但是雄性佔有領地者的交配成功率較沒有領地者高。 作者在此測試以下假說：(1)雄性佔有領地者有較高交配成功率的原因在於在大型光斑中的配偶偵測比在小型光斑中更有效率 (2) 只有在某個特定大小以上的光斑能被界定為領域。領域光斑的田野評估顯示，被守禦的光斑大小顯著大於森林底層光斑的平均尺寸。作者以實驗測試雄蝶以視覺偵測一隻模型蝴蝶經過光斑時的能力，結果顯示在光斑中飛行長距離飛行的情形下,雄蝶能較為成功地追求並攔截經過的模型。因此，作者提出光的狀況、視覺配偶偵測與完整的配偶飛行追求可解釋雄性的斑點木蝶（Pararge aegeria）在開放森林棲地守禦大型光斑的理由。

Territory residency is associated with considerable benefits. In the speckled wood butterfly, Pararge aegeria, males fight over ownership of large sunspots in open forest habitats; winners become sunspot residents, and losers become nonterritorial and sit and wait for females in small sunspots. A previous study has shown that residents have higher mating success than nonterritorial males, although females are not more attracted to territorial males or sunspot territories per se. Here we tested the hypotheses (1) that the higher success of resident males is caused by visual mate detection being more efficient in a large than in a small sunspot, and (2) that only sunspots above a certain size are defended as territories. Field assessment of territorial sunspot size showed that defended sunspots were significantly larger than ‘average sunspots’ on the forest floor. Experimental tests of male ability to detect visually a model butterfly passing through a sunspot showed that males were more successful in pursuing and intercepting a passing model when flown a longer distance in the sunspot. Hence, we conclude that light conditions and associated visual mate detection and ability to complete mate flight pursuit can explain why P. aegeria males defend territories in large sunspots in forest habitats.

Keywords: butterfly vision; Lepidoptera; light gap; mate searching; Pararge aegeria; sexual selection; speckled wood butterfly; territoriality

蝴蝶的固定眼紋展示可恫嚇攻擊它的鳥類

Fixed eyespot display in a butterfly thwarts attacking birds

Article References - selected

PDF (411 K)

Animal Behaviour
Volume 77, Issue 6, June 2009, Pages 1415-1419

Ullasa Kodandaramaiah, Adrian Vallina and Christer Wiklunda

Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Sweden
Available online 10 April 2009.

眼紋出現在許多鱗翅目昆蟲中，被猜測具有適應上的價值。所提出的假說中其中一個功能是捕食者會被獵物身上大而醒目的眼紋驚嚇，接著避免攻擊這類獵物。近期實驗顯示，眼紋與恫嚇行為的結合可提升存活率。作者測試僅僅存在明顯的眼紋時、是否可以嚇退攻擊的鳥類，意即不斷地展示眼紋而不表現恫嚇行為。作者將孔雀蛺蝶 Junonia almana 的翅膀黏貼在一片卡紙上以模擬成一隻蝴蝶展翅的樣貌，同時將ㄧ隻麵包蟲黏在雙翅中央身體的位置。此實驗中以山雀 Parus major 作為捕食者，在”具有眼紋”與”塗去眼紋”兩種模式獵物中做出選擇。具有眼紋的獵物顯著地比塗去眼紋者較少受到攻擊，首次攻擊與第二次攻擊之間間隔的時間也比被塗去眼紋者更長。以上結果支持天然產生的蝴蝶眼紋可提升存活率，即便是在持續展示且靜止不動的的情形下。

Abstract
Eyespots have evolved in many lepidopteran insects, which suggests their adaptive value. One of their hypothesized functions is that predators are intimidated by prey with large and conspicuous eyespots and hence refrain from attacking them. Recent experiments have shown that a combination of eyespots and intimidating behaviour can increase survival. We tested whether the mere presence of conspicuous eyespots can thwart attacking birds, that is, when the eyespots are displayed constantly, without any intimidating behaviour. We used prey that consisted of wings of the peacock pansy butterfly, Junonia almana, glued onto a piece of cardboard so as to resemble a butterfly with its wings open. A mealworm was placed between the wings in place of the body. Great tits, Parus major, were used as the predator in the study and were offered a choice between two model prey, one with intact eyespots and one without. Prey with eyespots were attacked significantly fewer times than those without. The time between the first and second attack was longer when the prey without eyespots was attacked first. These results support the hypothesis that naturally occuring butterfly eyespots can increase survival even when they are constantly displayed and motionless.

Keywords: eyespot; intimidation hypothesis; Junonia almana; peacock pansy

綜合現生與化石分類群的形態與分子證據推測喙蝶亞科的親緣關係

文獻來源: Kawahara A. 2009. Phylogeny of snout butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Libytheinae): combining evidence from the morphology of extant, fossil, and recently extinct taxa. Cladistics 25(3): 263-278. [全文下載]

Abstract
Snout butterflies (Nymphalidae: Libytheinae) are morphologically one of the most unusual groups of Lepidoptera. Relationships among libytheines remain uncertain, especially in the placement of the recently extinct Libythea cinyras and two fossils, L. florissanti, and L. vagabunda. The aim of this study is to present the first phylogenetic hypothesis of Libytheinae utilizing all available morphological data from extant and extinct species. Forty-three parsimony-informative characters were coded, and the all-taxa analysis resulted in six most parsimonious trees (length 92 steps, CI = 0.66, RI = 0.82). The subfamily was resolved as monophyletic and was split into Old World and New World clades. Inclusion of extinct species with considerable missing data had little effect on relationships of extant taxa, although Bremer support values and jackknife frequencies generally decreased if extinct species were included. In order to preserve the monophyly of extant genera, two fossils are assigned to Libytheana for the first time (L. florissanti comb. n. and L. vagabunda comb. n.). This study demonstrates the value of morphological data in phylogenetic analysis, and highlights the contribution that can be made by scoring extinct taxa and including them directly into the analysis.

帶蛾科之學名的正確作者與歷史上曾出現同物異名的有效性問題

文獻來源: Nässig WA, Oberprieler RG. 2007. The nomenclature of the family-group names of Eupterotidae (Bombycoidea). Nota lepidopterologica 30(2): 315—327. [全文下載]

Abstract
The origin and historical use of all family-group names pertaining to the bombycoid family Eupterotidae are determined. The family-group name Eupterotidae takes Swinhoe, 1892 as authorship, although the name was evidently originally coined by Hampson, 1893. However, three older family-group names are available for the taxon: Striphnopterygidae Wallengren, 1858, Phialidae Wallengren, 1865 and Janidae Aurivillius, 1892. Striphnopterygidae has been used as the valid name for the family by at least ten authors until at least 1965 and again in 2006, and as a valid subfamily name throughout, but the younger Eupterotidae gained almost universal acceptance as the name of the family in the literature since about 1928. Application of Article 35.5, introduced in the current, 4th edition of the Code (ICZN 1999), allows the retention of the younger name Eupterotidae as the valid name of the family. The authorship of another bombycoid family name, Lemoniidae, is corrected from Hampson, 1918 to Neumoegen & Dyar, 1894.

圖片連結: Bettaman之flickr相簿

由雄蟲合生毛刷特徵進行斑螟類親緣關係與比較形態學研究

Phylogenetic utility and comparative morphology of the composite scale brushes in male phycitine moths (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae)

Full text (PDF)

Thomas J. Simonsen and Amanda D. Roe

Zoologischer Anzeiger 248 (2009): 119–136

鱗翅目形態中一般所稱的毛刷 (hair brushes)、毛筆器 (hair pencil)與發香鱗(androconial scales)等特徵，在不同總科類群中多次的出現，其類型與繁複程度、分佈部位皆有所不同，也因而造成此類特徵在命名上的混淆與爭議。

雖然過去不少親緣關係的研究經常選用此類特徵進行形態親緣重建的特徵，然而相較其應用於系統發生學，此類特徵的同源性、組織學與功能形態學的討論顯得少且不完整。

作者Simonsen (註一) 與 Roe是兩位加拿大亞伯達省大學生物科學系的研究員，研究方向著重於鱗翅目螟蛾科類群之系統發生。在此篇文章選用了佔螟蛾科2/3物種數的斑螟亞科(Phycitinae)中的Dioryctria屬(台灣共3種)，來討論高多樣性的第八腹節合生毛刷(composite hair brushes)在超微結構(ultrastructural)、總體形態(gross morphology)與相關且複雜的鄰近腺體組織的同源性，並映像(mapping)此類特徵至Dioryctria屬分子親緣關係樹後，所得到結果的演化意義。

研究方法中，作者使用掃描式電子顯微鏡(SEM)作特徵的觀察與呈現，而非傳統形態所利用的光學或解剖顯微鏡；此外，作者選用了粒線體COI與COII序列，並使用最簡約法(maximum parsimony)進行親緣關係重建，而非一般分子親緣樹重建上所使用的最大概似法(maximum likelihood)或貝葉氏機率(Baysian probability)。

結果方面，作者將此類合生毛叢器特徵再映像至分子樹上，可支持Dioryctria屬的單系性，然而在特徵狀態上具有多次的轉換，也就是屬內特徵狀態具有趨同演化的結果，但當中的樹型分佈卻可支持屬內某些種群(species groups)的單系性。而作者也利用所獲得的結果來闡述結合各種層級特徵的評估可對斑螟亞科的演化關係在未來提供豐富的資訊；最後作者也提到使用掃描式電子顯微鏡而非光學或解剖顯微鏡來分析超微結構，可獲得更多且為3D的立體結構特徵。

註一 Thomas Simonsen的個人介紹

Abstract

Male pyralid moths in the subfamily of Phycitinae are known to possess composite scale brush structures associated with the 8th abdominal sternite, but the histology and the structural morphology of these organs have not been adequately explored. As such, the phylogenetic utility of these structures is unknown. We examine the pre-genitalic abdominal histology of male Dioryctria reniculelloides (Pyralidae: Phycitinae) associated with the composite scale brushes, as well as structural morphology within the genus Dioryctria and two closely related genera. The composite scale brushes are composed of fused scales. The musculature associated with the base of sternum 8 shows considerable modification compared to previously described Lepidoptera. Complex glandular tissue was also found associated with the scale brush structures, suggesting secretory function. Phylogenetic utility of ultrastructure and gross morphology was examined for major Dioryctria species groups. Many characters were homoplasious, but several supported the monophyly of the genus, as well as some internal relationships. In conclusion, the combination of ultrastructural, gross morphological and histological characters can be a rich source of information for elucidating a range of evolutionary relationships within the subfamily.

Keywords: Dioryctria; Phylogeny; Ultrastructure; Histology; Homology

[TaiBNET名錄修訂]Argyarctia拼法訂正

TaiBNET鱗翅目燈蛾科名錄應進行以下的修訂: 資料庫上的拼法Argyractia乃根據Lepidoptera of Taiwan而來, 但此拼法事實上是錯誤的, 應根據江田信豐(KODA Nobutoyo)的原始發表訂正為Argyarctia.

圖片連結: gaga昆蟲網

舊北區捲蛾誌第一卷 - 總論與捲蛾族(Tortricini)

Razowski J. 2008. Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) of the Palaearctic Region Volume 1 General Part and Tortricini. Frantisek Slamka, Bratislaza (Slovakia). [網址]

波蘭籍的捲蛾學者Josef Razowki可能是當今世界上在捲蛾的種級分類工作上最為活躍的學者, 自2002年以來他已經連續發表了四本以上的歐洲產捲蛾科專冊, 而2008年所發行的這本書則是他首次將他過去研究歐洲以外地區的捲蛾成果集結整理, 其中也包含了少數分布於台灣的種類. 此外台灣產捲蛾也曾經被Razowski於2002年簡短地回顧, 從該篇論文以及中國動物誌的捲蛾科問世後, 台灣的捲蛾科基礎分類研究工作就沒有更新的進展了.