Eloria subapicalis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Lymantriinae): rare and specialist species on Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae) in the cerrado

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Eloria subapicalis (Walker, 1855) is a rare species (61 individuals in four years of samplings) of Noctuidae (Lymantriinae) with a specific diet consisting of leaves of Erythroxylum P. Browne (Erytroxylaceae) species in Brasilia's cerrado. Generally, the rarity of a caterpillar species may have many explanations such as a generalist diet, being restricted to a host plant that is scarce in the area, or occurring in a limited geographical area. However, all the above explanations do not apply to E. subapicalis because it shows specificity of diet, uses a common host plant in the cerrado areas, and has a large geographical distribution.

The Abundance of Specialist and Generalist Lepidopteran Larvae on a Single Host Plant Species: Does Spatial Scale Matter?

“…The low abundance of generalist species on host plant species can be explained by the competitive exclusion of the generalists by the specialist species, predicted by the tri-trophic interaction hypothesis (Mooney et al 2012), or by generalists' behavior of feeding only occasionally on the host examined, despite having high overall population levels when all host plant species occupied are considered (Novotny & Basset 2000). Nevertheless, a specialist species may be rare in the case of single host plants, particularly when the species has a genuinely low population density (Novotny & Basset 2000;Diniz et al 2011).…”

Defoliation ofTerminalia catappaby Larvae ofThagona tibialis(Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in Viçosa, Brazil1

“…This subfamily was originally designated as the family Lymantriidae, but it was moved by Kristensen et al (2007) to Noctuidae, and later to Erebidae by Zahiri et al (2011). Species of Erebidae are found at a low frequency and density per plant in the Atlantic Rainforest biome in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, and collection data normally result in scarce or rare species (Diniz et al 2011). Four species of Lymantriinae have been found on plants of the Cerrado (savannah-type) biome in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil.…”

Review of Parasitoid Wasps and Flies (Hymenoptera, Diptera) Associated with Limacodidae (Lepidoptera) in North America, with a Key to Genera

“…Compounds from the leaves and fruits of this plant are used to treat diseases in humans and against fish parasites (Chansue 2007;Yang et al 2010). Thagona tibialis Walker (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) caterpillars defoliate T. catappa plants in Brazil with population peaks after the rainy season (Diniz et al 2001(Diniz et al , 2011. Damage by this insect on T. catappa crown was reported on TV and in newspapers during an infestation in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil in 2005. This defoliator is distributed in the Cerrado (Savannah-type) and Atlantic Rainforest biomes in Brazil.…”