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Listronotus bonariensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) flight in Canterbury, New Zealand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

S.L. Goldson*
Affiliation:
AgResearch, Canterbury Agriculture and Science Centre, PO Box 60, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
J.R. Proffitt
Affiliation:
AgResearch, Canterbury Agriculture and Science Centre, PO Box 60, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
D.B. Baird
Affiliation:
AgResearch, Canterbury Agriculture and Science Centre, PO Box 60, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
*
* Fax: +64 3 325 6904 E-mail: goldsons@agresearch.cri.nz

Abstract

Flight by Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) in Canterbury, New Zealand varied greatly both within and between seasons; no winter flight was detected between mid-May and mid-August. Predisposing conditions for flight were found to be >19degC, rh <81% and windspeed <10.8 km h–1. Three flight phases with different characteristics were identified when approximately equal numbers of weevils were trapped. These were between mid-August and early December (overwintered weevils), between early December and mid-March (first summer generation weevils) and mid-March and mid-May (first and second generation weevils). The proportion of individuals with developed flight musculature was c. 8% in the first phase and 30% in the last phase; muscle development was delayed in the mid-phase. First phase weevils with flight muscles were c. 20 times more likely to fly than those in the last. A very weak inverse relationship was observed between developed flight musculature and the presence or absence of eggs. Similarly, there was a very weak inverse relationship between weevil ground densities and the proportion with developed flight muscles. Levels of parasitism by Microctonus hyperodae Loan amongst trapped weevils were far less than that on the ground, indicating that it inhibits flight and may explain the relatively slow dispersal of the parasitoid. It was concluded that the adaptive implications of flight could be linked to escape responses from desiccating microclimates rather than dispersal from crowded habitats.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

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