{"title":"Host-use ability of a population of the herbivorous ladybird beetle Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata depending on Solanum megacarpum in northern Honshu, Japan","authors":"Naoyuki Fujiyama","doi":"10.1111/ens.12511","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12511","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Investigating the well-established relationships between insects and novel host plants will shed light on numerous aspects of evolution and ecology of phytophagous insects. However, in these systems, it is not always clear which plants were originally used as insect hosts, and how the focal insects adapted to the original host(s), before establishing the novel insect–host relationships. <i>Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata</i> (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a well-known pest of the potato <i>Solanum tuberosum</i> (Solanaceae), however its original host in Honshu, the main island of Japan, before the potato introduction is uncertain. A wild solanaceous weed, <i>So. megacarpum</i>, is the most likely candidate for the original host, although the use of this plant by <i>H. vigintioctomaculata</i> has never been recorded in Honshu. This study reports the occurrence of a <i>H. vigintioctomaculata</i> population depending almost solely on <i>So. megacarpum</i> at Yamagata, northern Honshu. Additionally, the host-use ability of this population was compared to that of a pest population under laboratory conditions. Based on the results obtained, it is discussed how the properties of beetles on <i>So. megacarpum</i> facilitated the use of the potato, assuming that <i>So. megacarpum</i> was the original host of <i>H. vigintioctomaculata</i> in Honshu.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41975102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Larval feeding habits of the large-bodied diving beetle Cybister rugosus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) under laboratory conditions","authors":"Shun Yamasaki, Kohei Watanabe, Shin-ya Ohba","doi":"10.1111/ens.12510","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12510","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The population of the diving beetle <i>Cybister rugosus</i> (Macleay, 1825) has been declining in recent years, and it is designated as “Vulnerable” (VU) in the Red List of Japan. However, there have been no quantitative studies on the feeding habits of the larval stage of this beetle. Revealing the feeding habits is indispensable for understanding the life history of <i>C. rugosus</i>. In the current study, we reared <i>C. rugosus</i> larvae on different prey taxa (Odonata nymph, fish, tadpole, and shrimp) and evaluated their growth and survival rates. Previous studies have shown that three congeneric <i>Cybister</i> species larvae feed mainly on invertebrates. However, all larval instars of <i>C. rugosus</i> were able to feed on invertebrates and vertebrates and grow. Thus, we considered <i>C. rugosus</i> to be a generalist compared to the other <i>Cybister</i> species. The larval periods were shorter for <i>C. rugosus</i> that fed on Odonata nymphs than on any other prey. Feeding different prey taxa had no significant effect on the body length of newly emerged adult males. However, the body length of newly emerged adult females was larger when the larvae fed on Odonata nymphs than when the larvae fed on fish. As in other <i>Cybister</i> species, we concluded that the Odonata nymph is an appropriate food from the viewpoint of increased growth rate in <i>C. rugosus</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45839567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Life history of Laccophilus lewisioides Brancucci, 1983 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) and the ecological significance of the larval period of five Laccophilus species","authors":"Kohei Watanabe","doi":"10.1111/ens.12509","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12509","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Dytiscidae are the largest aquatic group belonging to the order Coleoptera. However, approximately 40% of Dytiscidae members have been threatened with extinction in Japan, and <i>Laccophilus</i> is one of the genera with considerable decline. A description of the life history of these species and their ecological information will contribute to their conservation. In this study, I described the life history of <i>Laccophilus lewisioides</i> Brancucci, 1983 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Laccophilinae) using rearing-based methods under laboratory conditions. I then compared the biology of the larval stages of this species to four <i>Laccophilus</i> species, <i>L. vagelineatus</i> Zimmermann, 1922, <i>L. hebusuensis</i> Watanabe & Kamite, 2020, <i>L. yoshitomii</i> Watanabe & Kamite, 2018, and <i>L. kobensis</i> Sharp, 1873. The developmental period for each immature stage at 26°C was as follows: first instar larva, 4–12 days (<i>n</i> = 16); second instar larva, 5–9 days (<i>n</i> = 15); third instar larva, 5–10 days (<i>n</i> = 15); landing to pupation, 2–3 days (<i>n</i> = 2); pupation to adult emergence, 4 days (<i>n</i> = 1); and landing to escape, 8–9 days (<i>n</i> = 14). The total larval period was significantly longer for <i>L. lewisioides</i> than for the other four <i>Laccophilus</i> species. The duration of larval period could be strongly related to the duration of stable water level in the reproductive habitat. The coloration of the larval stage varied between species groups, suggesting that the larvae adapt to the surrounding environment and show a camouflage effect. This is the first report on the immature stages in the life cycle of <i>L. lewisioides</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48010614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The complete aquatic life: Adaptation of Amphiops mater Sharp (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) to the water surface during the pupal stage","authors":"Tomoharu Kuwabara, Masakazu Hayashi","doi":"10.1111/ens.12507","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12507","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Amphiops mater</i> Sharp, 1873, live on the water surface from the egg stage to the pupal stage. Pupae are usually attached to floating objects and normally hatch even when removed from the objects and allowed to float on the water. The pupal period lasts 2–3 days (mean 2.4 days). Interestingly, the pupae are not easily preyed upon by water striders, <i>Gerris latiabdominis</i> Miyamoto, 1958, and their inconspicuous shape and short pupal duration may allow them to escape predation. Most Hydrophilidae species pupate on land, but <i>A. mater</i> can complete its life stages in an aquatic environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47793082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Life history of Copelatus zimmermanni Gschwendtner, 1934 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) and the ecological significance of the larval period of three Copelatus species","authors":"Kohei Watanabe, Shin-ya Ohba","doi":"10.1111/ens.12505","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12505","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Diving beetles (Dytiscidae) play an important ecological role in most aquatic water habitats. However, approximately 40% of dytiscids in Japan have been classified as threatened, and further knowledge on their life history is necessary to support conservation efforts. In this study, we collected adult <i>Copelatus zimmermanni</i> (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) from an ephemeral rain pool and raised a generation under laboratory conditions. We then compared the larval period with two <i>Copelatus</i> species, <i>C. parallelus</i> and <i>C. masculinus</i>. Complete development (egg to adult) occurred in 39–61 days (<i>n</i> = 10) and comprised the following stages: egg (3–6 days, <i>n</i> = 20), first instar (3–8 days, <i>n</i> = 20), second instar (3–12 days, <i>n</i> = 15), third instar larvae (4–13 days, <i>n</i> = 14), and landing to escape (11–36 days, <i>n</i> = 10). The third instar and total larval periods of <i>C. zimmermanni</i> were significantly shorter than those of <i>C. parallelus</i> and <i>C. masculinus</i>. The differences in the duration of larval periods may be related to the permanence of water sources used as reproductive sites for each species. We suggest that the shorter developmental period of <i>C. zimmermanni</i> allows it to complete entire lifecycles even in highly ephemeral aquatic habitats. This is the first report on the immature stages of a species within the <i>C. nigrolineatus</i> species group.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41566228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Coexistence mechanisms of Colocasiomyia species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) sharing inflorescences of Alocasia odora (Araceae) as a host plant: Comparison between two- and three-species systems","authors":"Masanori J. Toda, Kohei Takenaka Takano, Toru Katoh, Ling Xiao, Jian-Jun Gao, Masako Yafuso","doi":"10.1111/ens.12506","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12506","url":null,"abstract":"<p>There are two pollination-mutualistic systems between <i>Colocasiomyia</i> flies and <i>Alocasia odora</i>. The two systems are different in the number of fly species involved. One is a two-to-one system, where <i>C. xenalocasiae</i> and <i>C. alocasiae</i> share inflorescences/infructescences of <i>A</i>. <i>odora</i> in the Ryukyu Islands (Japan), Taiwan, Guangdong, and Guangxi (China). The other system, which additionally involves the third species, <i>C. grandis</i>, is seen from southern Yunnan (China) to northern Vietnam. To reveal coexistence mechanisms in these systems, we compared breeding habits of the component species between the two- and three-species systems in natural conditions, and undertook a field experiment to test a hypothesis whether oviposition sites of the component species are affected by interference competition between them. The observations under natural conditions confirmed the breeding niche separation of component species in the two-species system: <i>C. xenalocasiae</i> uses mostly the pistillate region of spadix, whereas <i>C. alocasiae</i> uses mostly the staminate region, with partial overlap of their oviposition sites in the lower intermediate region. In the three-species system, however, these two species separated their oviposition sites nearly completely from each other, suggesting that they are excluded from the lower intermediate region by the third species, <i>C. grandis</i>, which monopolizes there. The result of field experiments did not support this hypothesis: neither <i>C. xenalocasiae</i> nor <i>C. alocasiae</i> changed oviposition behavior regardless of the absence or the presence of <i>C. grandis</i>. Therefore, we propose an alternative hypothesis that the oviposition site segregation among the three species has evolved as a consequence of the past and/or ongoing competition of larvae.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ens.12506","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46182098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of spraying behavior and body size on predators of the big head stick insect Megacrania tsudai (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae)","authors":"Shun Kobayashi, Chihaya Takaoka, Hiromu Tanimoto, Satoru Arimitsu, Masako Izawa","doi":"10.1111/ens.12508","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12508","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Some insects use multiple defensive methods, although little research exists on the complementary effects of these strategies on their predators. For example, <i>Megacrania tsudai</i> uses crypsis to blend with its background and when threatened it uses a chemical spray. However, the effectiveness of the spraying defense is unclear, although some potential predators were known. This study aimed to reveal the effect of the secondary defenses of <i>M. tsudai</i>. Although the liquid chemical amount changes with growth stages, neither geckos, frogs, spiders nor insects could predate <i>M. tsudai</i> when it grew to a certain size, regardless of the spray effectiveness. Therefore, at the fifth instar or older growth stages of <i>M. tsudai</i>, its predators were limited to birds. <i>Megacrania tsudai</i> that did not spray their liquid chemicals were attacked by predators (other than birds) more than species that sprayed the chemicals. Birds predated all instars regardless of the amount of liquid spray. In conclusion, <i>M. tsudai</i> mainly uses cryptic coloration for predators using visual sense such as diurnal birds, and body size and chemical defenses for other predators, as its defensive measure. The defensive strategy of <i>M. tsudai</i> could relate to its life history.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ens.12508","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45888573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Marine rove beetles in a low-salinity lake: Cafius pectoralis (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) prey on beach hopper in brackish water","authors":"Masakazu Hayashi","doi":"10.1111/ens.12504","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12504","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A marine rove beetle, <i>Cafius pectoralis</i> (Boheman, 1858), inhabits the coast and is found in seaweed washed ashore on sandy beaches. This species also inhabits Lake Shinji, a brackish lake with low-salinity, but there is no seaweed or kelp flies in this lake. <i>Cafius pectoralis</i> prefers to prey on beach hoppers, and many hoppers live in Lake Shinji. One rove beetle and one beach hopper were placed together in a container for 24 h. As a control, beach hoppers were placed in similar containers alone for 24 h. While the beach hoppers that were alone all survived, those with rove beetles were all dead after 24 h. Consequently, it is speculated that the beetles feed on beach hoppers and that they have become habituated to the brackish lake.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45889358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phylogeographic analysis of Ligidium japonicum (Isopoda: Ligiidae) and its allied species reveals high biodiversity and genetic differentiation in the Kanto region, Japan","authors":"Hiroki Yoshino, Kohei Kubota","doi":"10.1111/ens.12501","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12501","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research of the diversity and evolutionary history of Japanese soil invertebrates is scarce. Molecular data analysis can help to elucidate species classifications and evolutionary processes. We analyzed the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear 28S rDNA genes and the morphology of the male pleopod 2 endopod of <i>Ligidium japonicum</i> and its allied species from 67 sites in Hokkaido, Honshu and Shikoku, where only <i>L. japonicum</i> is thought to occur. We found males of the <i>L. japonicum</i> complex with a pleopod 2 endopod morphology matching that of the <i>L. japonicum</i> syntype specimens, except for the number of denticles at the inner margin. There were also more than five species that differed morphologically from the <i>L. japonicum</i> complex, and most of these species had allopatric distributions despite the absence of obvious barriers. A time-calibrated molecular phylogeny implied that the <i>L. japonicum</i> complex of the Kanto region first differentiated allopatrically in the mountains; this was followed by independent dispersal of three lineages to the Kanto Plain and Boso Peninsula, where secondary contact occurred. Two of the three sympatrically distributed <i>L. japonicum</i> complex lineages had a significant difference in the number of denticles at the inner margin of male pleopod 2 endopods. This variation implies the presence of cryptic species within the <i>L. japonicum</i> complex.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41322990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Long-maintained social–ecological systems and genetic diversity in coexisting insects: A case of the straw-thatched roof nesting solitary wasp Symmorphus apiciornatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)","authors":"Goshi Sato, Jun-ichi Kojima, Hinako Horikoshi, Fuki Saito-Morooka","doi":"10.1111/ens.12502","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ens.12502","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Thatched roofs are artificial environments that serve as nesting sites for a variety of insects, including tube-nesting wasps, but they have been declining drastically in recent years. In this study, we investigated the nesting habits of a eumenine wasp, <i>Symmorphus apiciornatus</i>, nesting in a group at thatched roofs in a northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, central Japan. Genetic diversity and genetic structure in the area were also investigated. Sex ratios at most study sites were not biased. Males emerged first and waited for females to mate around the natal nests, suggesting a high possibility of breeding between the wasps having emerged at a given thatched roof under the recent situation where there has been a drastic reduction in the number of houses with a thatched roof. Nevertheless, the genetic diversity in a given local population or a thatched roof was relatively high and significant genetic differentiation among thatched roofs was not detected.</p>","PeriodicalId":11745,"journal":{"name":"Entomological Science","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47951976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}