Search results for "Lycaenidae"
showing 7 items of 7 documents
Microbial communities of lycaenid butterflies do not correlate with larval diet
2016
Herbivores possess many counteradaptations to plant defenses, and a growing body of research describes the role of symbiotic gut bacteria in mediating herbivorous diets among insects. However, persistent bacterial symbioses have not been found in Lepidoptera, despite the fact that perhaps 99% of the species in this order are herbivorous. We surveyed bacterial communities in the guts of larvae from 31 species of lycaenid butterflies whose caterpillars had diets ranging from obligate carnivory to strict herbivory. Contrary to our expectations, we found that the bacterial communities of carnivorous and herbivorous caterpillars do not differ in richness, diversity, or composition. Many of the o…
Extent of variation of the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin reservoir: the case of the geranium bronze, Cacyreus marshalli butler (Lepidoptera: Lycaenida…
2002
ABSTRACT Despite the fact that around 200 cry genes from Bacillus thuringiensis have already been cloned, only a few Cry proteins are toxic towards a given pest. A crucial step in the mode of action of Cry proteins is binding to specific sites in the midgut of susceptible insects. Binding studies in insects that have developed cross-resistance discourage the combined use of Cry proteins sharing the same binding site. If resistance management strategies are to be implemented, the arsenal of Cry proteins suitable to control a given pest may be not so vast as it might seem at first. The present study evaluates the potential of B. thuringiensis for the control of a new pest, the geranium bronze…
Systematic review of the effects of chemical insecticides on four common butterfly families
2017
Safeguarding crop productivity by protecting crops from pest attacks entails the wide use of plant protection products that provide a quick, easy and cheap solution. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of insecticides used in agriculture on non-target butterflies, specifically on the families Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae, and Papilionidae. To achieve this goal, a formal systematic review was performed according to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidelines, by entering a combination of keywords on 3 online databases. Three reviewers independently extracted information on study characteristics and quality. The main results were collected and grouped by the …
Die feinstruktur der fl�igelschuppen einiger Lycaeniden (Insecta, Lepidoptera)
1970
Green, blue and violet colours of Lycaenidae examined by us — with the exception of Rapala arata (Theclinae) — are due to iridescent scales which are arranged before a dark background. The iridescent scales are constructed according to the Urania-type and may be diverted from pigmented scales by laying in equidistant lamellae and little cuticular bars, which maintain the distance between the lamellae. The ribs in the longitudinal axis of the scales contain lamellae and bars only in the Plebejinae, in Lycaeninae and Theclinae they are small and sit on the plain upperside of the scale with a narrow base.
An individual based model for the conservation of the endangered Large Blue Butterfly, Maculinea arion (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
2002
Abstract European populations of the Large Blue Butterfly Maculinea arion have experienced severe declines during the 20th century, especially in the northern part of the species’ range. This endangered lycaenid butterfly needs two resources for development: flower buds of specific plants ( Thymus spp., Origanum vulgare ), on which young caterpillars briefly feed, and red ants of the genus Myrmica , whose nests support caterpillars during a prolonged final instar. In order to improve understanding of those mechanisms that are most influential to population dynamics of the butterfly, we developed a stochastic population model. This individual based model implements three main biological comp…
Are and bivoltine (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)? The discriminatory value of genetics in taxonomy
2005
Abstract Taxonomic confusion exists in several sibling species groups. The Polyommatus coridon species complex (Chalk Hill Blues) serves as a model group of sibling species in which genetic analyses provide suitable means for taxonomic clarification. We studied the allozyme patterns of the two described bivoltine species of this complex, Polyommatus hispana and Polyommatus slovacus , and compared them to the two genetic lineages of the univoltine P. coridon. P. hispana is well distinguished from P. coridon (genetic distance: 0.081), and most probably is a sibling species that has evolved during glacial isolation on the Iberian Peninsula. P. slovacus is genetically indistinguishable from the…
Patch size and connectivity influence the population turnover of the threatened chequered blue butterfly, Scolitantides orion (Lepidoptera: Lycaenida…
2008
Chequered blue butterfly, Scolitantides orion (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) has severely declined in many parts of Europe and is currently red-listed in many countries. We studied the population structure and turnover of the species in a lake-island system in a National Park in eastern Finland over a three-year period. The incidence of the chequered blue on the suitable islands (n = 41) and habitat patches (n = 123) was high: an average of 82% of the islands and patches were occupied over the three year period. At the island scale, the annual population turnover rate was 17%, with an extinction and colonization rate of 7% and 10%, respectively. At the patch scale, the annual population turnover…