Description of mating behavior, life cycle, and antennal sensilla of Cyclocephala putrida Burmeister, 1847 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae)

Abstract

The genus Cyclocephala is common in Brazil (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae). The adults of some species are important pollinators, and the larvae develop in the soil, feed on organic matter, and contribute to nutrient cycle, but immatures of some species feed on plant roots, and some were registered causing damage in crops. The mating process of some phytophagous scarab beetles has a chemical recognition step, and the antenna is the main structure involved in the detection of odorants associated with insect communication. In the present study the mating behavior, life cycle, and antennal sensilla of C. putrida are described. The study was conducted at the Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Cassilândia, Brazil. Adults were collected by a light trap installed from January 2016 to December 2017 and were taken to the laboratory for studies. Adults swarms are brief and were registered from January to February, and specimens were mostly collected at 20:00 to 22:00h. Chemical recognition may occur at least during one of the mating steps, during which the couple kept their antennae moving and the lamellae open, while females select males. In laboratory, the mating process lasted 7.5 minutes on average. The antennae of females have about 3399 sensilla and males about 4229 sensilla. Sensilla placodea types I, II, and III are the most abundant, and sensilla ampullacea, basiconica, and coeloconica are also present. The embryonic period lasted 16.0 days; first, second and third instars lasted 16.0, 48.3, and 165.3 days, respectively. The pupal period lasted 24.0 days. The period between egg deposition and adult emergency is about 271.5 days.

Structure and distribution of antennal sensilla in Pseudosymmachia flavescens (Brenske) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)

“…This subtype is similar to those described on the pedicel of M. orientalis (Shao et al, 2019), and to SB on the scape, pedicel, and funicle of Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli) (Zauli et al, 2016). These peglike sensilla are also similar to those distributed on the antennal lamella of Cyclocephala putrida Burmeister (Saldanha, Rodrigues, Amaro, & Fuhrmann, 2020), Dasylepida ishigakiensis Niijima et Kinoshita (Tanaka et al, 2006), Holotrichia parallela (Motschulsky) (Yi et al, 2019), Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) (Renou et al, 1998), O. eremita (Zauli et al, 2016), Phyllopertha horticola L. (Ågren, 1985), Pachnoda interrupta Olivier and Pachnoda marginata Drury (Bengtsson et al, 2011). However, they have clearly an apical pore and therefore may have a gustative function (Zacharuk, 1985).…”

“…However, they have clearly an apical pore and therefore may have a gustative function (Zacharuk, 1985). Grooved sensilla coeloconica (i.e., subtype 2) on antennal lamella are common in some other scarab species (Bohacz, Harrison, & Ahrens, 2020), such as Anomala cuprea (Hope) (Leal & Mochizuki, 1993), Cotinis nitida Burmeister (Baker & Monroe, 2005), C. putrida (Saldanha et al, 2020), D. ishigakiensis (Tanaka et al, 2006), H. parallela (Yi et al, 2019), Hylamorpha elegans Burmeister (Mutis et al, 2014), O. rhinoceros (Renou et al, 1998), O. eremita (Zauli et al, 2016), Phyllophaga anxia (LeConte) (Ochieng et al, 2002), Phyllopertha diversa Waterhouse (Hansson et al, 1999), P. horticola (Ågren, 1985), P. interrupta , P. marginata (Bengtsson et al, 2011), and Popillia japonica Newman (Kim & Leal, 2000). Sensilla coeloconica are generally thought to function as hygro‐ and thermoreceptors (Altner & Prillinger, 1980).…”

Antennal sensilla of two species of Gymnetis MacLeay, 1819 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae)

“…These setae are designated here with sensilla chaetica, but other studies termed these setae as sensilla trichodea (as Bohacz et al, 2020). Despite the term used (see terminology in Material and Methods), the presence of this group of setae is a conspicuous character of Cetoniinae and part of Dynastinae (Bohacz et al, 2020;Costa et al, 2021), is inconspicuous to Rutelinae and part of Dynastinae (Cyclocephalini; Rodrigues et al, 2019;Saldanha et al, 2020;Nagamine et al, 2022), and is indistinct in Melolonthinae (Bohacz et al, 2020;Menis et al, 2021). In Rutelinae and Cyclocephalini, the outer side of proximal lamella has a sparse group of setae, and these setae are not evidently different from other setae present on lamellar edges (Rodrigues et al, 2019;Nagamine et al, 2022).…”

“…Some studies show that the phytophagous scarab beetles, sometimes named as Pleurosticti (including Cetoniinae, Dynastinae, Melolonthinae, Rutelinae, and others minor subfamilies), have some types of sensilla in their antennal lamellae (those lamellae together form the antennal clava or club), as sensilla placodea, basiconica, coeloconica, ampullacea (pores), chaetica, and trichodea (Romero-López et al, 2004;Shao et al, 2019;Saldanha et al, 2020). The sensilla subtypes and its amount is variable regarding different species and the sensilla distribution often show variation between males and females (Tanaka et al, 2006;Romero-López et al, 2010;Costa et al, 2021).…”

Egg development and viability in three species of Cyclocephala (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae)

“…to agriculture and natural systems, the knowledge about the biological parameters of these insects is surprisingly limited. Published data on the life cycle of Cyclocephala is restricted to less than 3% of the currently described species (Gavotto, 1964; Potter, 1983; Cherry, 1985; Mondino et al ., 1997; Morón, 1997, 2004; Santos and Ávila, 2007; Rodrigues et al ., 2010; Stechauner-Rohringer and Pardo-Locarno, 2010; Coutinho et al ., 2011; Nogueira et al ., 2013; Sisne Luis et al ., 2013; Albuquerque et al ., 2014; Souza et al ., 2014, 2015; Saldanha et al ., 2020). Some of these authors provide a few insights into egg development in species of Cyclocephala , which include the observation of significant weight gain from oviposition until hatching (Gavotto, 1964; Cherry, 1985; Souza et al ., 2014).…”