Egg laying site selection by a host plant specialist leaf miner moth at two intra-plant levels in the northern Chilean Atacama Desert

First Remarks on Genetic Variation of the Little Known Leaf MinerAngelabella tecomaeVargas & Parra (Gracillariidae) in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile

“…Although in this study the genetic variation of A. tecomae was not found to be geographically structured, it is interesting that the two rural populations (Azapa and Lluta valleys) have exclusive haplotypes (Table 1, Fig. 2), which could indicate that environmental conditions of both localities allow harboring higher levels of genetic diversity, as both members of this system, the host plant T. fulva fulva and the leaf miner A. tecomae, reach larger population sizes in rural areas (Storey-Palma et al 2014). Contrarily, the presence of only one haplotype in the (Oshima 2008, Shapiro et al 2008, Valade et al 2009, and the Neotropical fauna is not an exception to this pattern (Brito et al 2012, 2013a, Vargas et al 2013, Lees et al 2014.…”

Egg cluster characteristics of fall armyworm, <em>Spodoptera frugiperda</em> (Lepidoptera: Noctuidea) in Sri Lanka under laboratory conditions

“…The eggs are the first life stage of most insects that are directly exposed to the environment and to predators, parasitoids and abiotic stresses (Hilker and Fatouros, 2015). Further, egg laying site selection is important in providing an adequate place for the subsequent success of larval development (Storey-Palma et al, 2014). Therefore, many Lepidopteran insects such as the leaf miner, Angelabella tecomae, the Bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata and the Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, lay eggs on the underside of host plant leaves, where eggs and the emerging larvae are protected from high temperatures, sunlight, wind, predators and parasitoids (Ulmer et al, 2003;Azidah and Sofian-Azirun, 2006;Storey-Palma et al, 2014) .…”

“…Further, egg laying site selection is important in providing an adequate place for the subsequent success of larval development (Storey-Palma et al, 2014). Therefore, many Lepidopteran insects such as the leaf miner, Angelabella tecomae, the Bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata and the Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, lay eggs on the underside of host plant leaves, where eggs and the emerging larvae are protected from high temperatures, sunlight, wind, predators and parasitoids (Ulmer et al, 2003;Azidah and Sofian-Azirun, 2006;Storey-Palma et al, 2014) . However, the majority of Lepidoptera lay eggs singly and the larvae develop solitarily (Stamp, 1980;Hebert, 1983;Ulmer et al, 2003).…”

Cryptic Diversity in the Monotypic Neotropical Micromoth Genus Angelabella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in the Peru-Chile Desert

“…D. Don (Bignoniaceae) [ 1 ] ( Figure 1 ). The small females of A. tecomae , forewing length about 3 mm, select actively growing leaflets for egg laying on this shrub [ 2 ]. This behavior ensures food availability to complete larval and pupal development inside a single leaflet, generating an aggregated spatial pattern of the immature stages along the shoot with eggs at the apex, larvae at intermediate positions and pupae at the base [ 2 ].…”

“…The small females of A. tecomae , forewing length about 3 mm, select actively growing leaflets for egg laying on this shrub [ 2 ]. This behavior ensures food availability to complete larval and pupal development inside a single leaflet, generating an aggregated spatial pattern of the immature stages along the shoot with eggs at the apex, larvae at intermediate positions and pupae at the base [ 2 ]. Despite the highly specialized egg laying site selection by the females, the host range of A. tecomae is not restricted to T. f. fulva , as this micromoth is also able to use the exotic ornamental tree Tecoma stans (L.) Juss.…”