The relative acceptabilities of three Australian Menispermaceae as food plants for larvae of the fruitpiercing moth, Othreis fullonia

Abstract

The acceptability of three widely distributed Australian Menispermaceae, Tinospora smilacina Benth., Sarcopetalum harveyanum E Muell. and Stephaniajaponica (Thunb.) Miers, as food for larvae of the fruitpiercing moth, Othreisfullonia (Clerck), was examined in three laboratory experiments. When larvae were presented with plant species individually total development times were shortest on T. smilacina and longest on S. japonica, despite relatively similar consumption rates within most instars. T. smilacina elicited greater (P<0.05) relative growth rates than S. japonica in all instars except the 6th. In the second experiment, when larvae were allowed to select from each of the 3 plants, no S. japonica was chosen by 1st instars and it represented only 3.7% of food consumed by 2nd instars. Significantly more T. smilacina was eaten in each instar than S. japonica, and more than S. harveyanum except in the 2nd and 4th instars. The final experiment examined the abilities of larvae to switch hosts when forced after the 1st and 3rd instars. After the first or second food change largest average headcapsule widths were associated with feeding on T. smilacina as the most recent food. Feeding by final instars on T. smilacina also resulted in the shortest development time and highest puparial weights. While some larvae survived irrespective of plant sequence 83.3% of the recorded mortality occurred while larvae were exposed to S. japonica, principally during the 1st instar. These experiments lend support to field observations which suggest that T. smilacina is a major host of O. fullonia while S. japonica is not. S. harveyanum is probably an important alternate host when T. smilacina is scarce.

Survivorship of Australian Othreis fullonia on Erythrina variegata: hypotheses for development of host-plant biotypes in the Pacific

“…Although E. variegata L. is utilised by O.fullonia in the Pacific and occurs in eastern Queensland (Stanley & Ross, 1983), the larvae feed only on menisperm vines including Tinospora smilacina Benth. (Fay, 1994). Larvae of Australian O. fullonia refused to feed when offered three Erythrina spp.…”

Seasonal Abundance and Suppression of Fruit-Piercing MothEudocima phalonia(L.) in a Citrus Orchard in Sarawak

“…Therefore, adult feeding can reduce the quantity and quality of marketed fruit. Direct and indirect damage in this study by the adult moths has resulted in less than 40% as compared with up to 50% crop loss for citrus, carambolae, and lychees reported in Northeast Australia [23]. Damage caused by E. phalonia adults in citrus orchards can vary dramatically over years, rising and falling from very low (<5%) to very high levels (>90%) [13, 14, 24, 25].…”

Euplectrus melanocephalus Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), an ectoparasitoid of larvae of fruit‐piercing moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Catocalinae) from northern Queensland

“…Adults of fruit‐piercing moths (Catocalinae) are pests of fruit, piercing the skin with their armoured proboscis to extract the juice. Their larvae feed on forest vines of the family Menispermaceae and are not considered pests (Sands & Schotz 1991; Fay 1994). When natural enemies of the fruitpiercing moth genus Eudocima Billberg (including Othreis Hübner, Khadira Moore and Rhytia Hübner: synonymy by Poole 1989) were investigated, a species of Euplectrus , E. melanocephalus Girault, was found to be an uncommon parasitoid of their larvae in northern Queensland (Sands 1996).…”