An Experimental Test of the Seismic Behaviors of Antispila Nysaefoliella (Lepidoptera: Heliozelidae) to Vibrational Stimuli
Abstract
This study tested the sensitivity of the tupelo leafminer, Antispila nysaefoliella, to vibrational cues and whether their unique behaviors, first reported by Low (2008), may be elicited by the frequencies matching those of parasitic wasps. In the tick behavior, a larva ticks its abdomen back and forth rhythmically, and in the rattle behavior, the larva rattles its abdomen in short rapid pulses. To test the specificity of these behaviors to vibrational cues, computer-generated signals of pure tone frequencies ranging from 1-6 kHz were played to the entire leaf of solitary larvae through airborne signal transmission. The experiment demonstrated that the larvae of A. nysaefoliella responded to all frequencies with wriggling movements, but ticked only in response to the frequencies that matched those generated by parasitoid probing activity. Rattling behavior was rarely elicited.Este estudio probó la sensibilidad del minador del tupelo, Antispila nysaefoliella, a señales en modo de vibraciones, y si este comportamiento único, primero reportado por Low (2008), puede ser provocado por las frecuencias similares a las producidas por avispas parasíticas. En el comportamiento llamado tick la larva mueve su abdomen rítmicamente hacia adelante y atrás produciendo un ‘tick’. En el comportamiento llamado cascabel, la larva hace vibrar su abdomen en pulsos rápidos y cortos. Para probar la especificidad de estos comportamientos se utilizaron señales de tono puro en frecuencias entre 1-6 kHz generadas por un computador y transmitidas en forma de aire, las cuales fueron aplicadas en hojas con una larva solitaria. El experimento demostró que las larvas de A. nysaefoliella respondieron a todas las frecuencias encogiéndose. El comportamiento tick fue provocado solo por frecuencias similares a las producidas por parasitoides. El comportamiento de cascabel fue raramente provocado.
View this article in BioOne
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.