A Comparative survey of proboscis and tymbal morphology in Tiger moths (lepidoptera: erebidae: arctiini)

Lepidoptera;Moths;Tiger moths

Coy, Stacey L.Zaspel, Jennifer ;

University of Wisconsin

关键词: Lepidoptera;    Moths;    Tiger moths;   

Others  :  https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/75219/Coy%2c%20Stacey.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: University of Wisconsin

【 摘 要 】

Arctiini (tiger moths) include some of the most brightly colored,charismatic moths in the order Lepidoptera. Bright coloration and soundproduction in tiger moths can serve as defense mechanisms to warn predators oftheir unpalatability. In some arctiines, atypical adult feeding behaviors havebeen documented, including obtaining secondary plant compounds for chemicalprotection rather than nutrition, a.k.a. pharmacophagy. Tiger moth species havealso been recorded warning bat predators of their distastefulness by producingsound with specialized structures. Other tiger moths are palatable, and usesound to jam bat sonar, thereby evading predation.Previous morphological work has demonstrated an association betweensome adult feeding behaviors and uniquely specialized proboscis sensorystructures. Whether adult pharmacophagous tiger moths have specializedstructures for pharmacophagy was previously unknown. I hypothesized there isa connection between the number of proboscis sensory structures, adultpharmacophagy and phylogeny in arctiines. My results demonstrate thatindividuals known to sequester pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA’s) as adults havemore proboscis sensilla on average than those that do not sequester PA’s asadult, but are PA feeders as larvae.Some tiger moths have developed a secondary organ, the tymbal, fordefense through ultrasonic sound. Little morphological work has been done toexamine tymbal microstructure; however, some evidence suggests variation intymbal size between tiger moth species. I predicted there is a correlationbetween the surface area of the tymbal and specific defensive behaviors (e.g.,acoustic aposematism vs. jamming). Results from my morphological surveysprovided new character states for comparative evolution analyses within aphylogenetic framework. Further, this work has predictive power providingvaluable insight into unknown species behaviors, and can inform future studiesin chemical ecology and behavior.