Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-wxhwt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-11T06:18:46.632Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

ORIENTATION OF CALOSOMA SYCOPHANTA L. (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) IN FORESTS: INSIGHTS FROM VISUAL RESPONSES TO OBJECTS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Ronald M. Weseloh
Ronald M. Weseloh
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, PO Box 1106, New Haven, Connecticut, USA 06504
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Visual responses of adults of Calosoma sycophanta L., which are predators of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), were investigated in laboratory arenas. Beetles moved toward dark cylinders significantly faster than to light ones when the background was white, but no differently when the background was black. Thus, C. sycophanta appears to respond most readily to dark objects, and this response is only slightly modified by contrast with the background. Beetles move toward large-diameter black cylinders more readily than toward small-diameter ones, but object height and shape do not appear to be important characteristics. The visual responses of C. sycophanta would tend to orient adults toward the base of trees in a forest. Because beetles prey on gypsy moth larvae in trees, this orientation serves to position them where they can most readily find hosts, or perhaps to guide them to objects under which to hide.

Résumé

Les réactions visuelles des adultes de Calosoma sycophanta L., qui sont prédateurs de la Spongieuse, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera : Lymantriidae), ont été étudiées dans des arènes de laboratoire. Les calosomes se sont déplacés significativement plus rapidement vers des cylindres foncés que vers des cylindres clairs sur fond blanc et il n’y avait pas de différence lorsque les cylindres étaient sur fond noir. Calosoma sycophanta réagit donc plus rapidement à des objets foncés et la réaction n’est que légèrement modifiée si la couleur du fond change. Les calosomes se déplacent plus volontiers vers des cylindres noirs de grand diamètre que vers des cylindres de petit diamètre, mais la hauteur et la forme des objets ne semblent pas constituer des caractéristiques importantes. Les réactions de C. sycophanta semblent indiquer que les adultes auraient tendance à s’orienter vers la base des arbres en forêt. Comme les calosomes s’attaquent aux larves de spongieuses dans les arbres, il est logique de penser que cette tendance peut les pousser vers des endroits où ils peuvent trouver leurs proies le plus facilement, ou alors les mener vers des objets sous lesquels ils peuvent se cacher.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 129 , Issue 2 , April 1997 , pp. 347 - 354
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Burgess, A.F. 1911. Calosoma sycophanta: Its Life History, Behavior and Successful Colonization in New England. United States Department of Agriculture Bureau of Entomology, Bulletin 101: 94 pp.Google Scholar
Campan, R., and Gautier, J.Y.. 1975. Orientation of the cricket Nemobius sylvestris (Bosc) towards forest-trees. Daily variations and ontogenetic development. Animal Behaviour 23: 640–649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collins, C.W., and Holbrook, J.E.R.. 1929. Trapping Calosoma beetles. Journal of Economic Entomology 22: 562–569.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAuslane, H.J., Vinson, S.B., and Williams, H.J.. 1990. Influence of host-plant on mate location by the parasitoid, Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Environmental Entomology 19: 26–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moericke, V., Prokopy, R.J., Berlocher, S., and Bush, G.L.. 1975. Visual stimuli eliciting attraction of Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) flies to trees. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 18: 497–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van der Sar, T.J.D., and Borden, J.H.. 1977. Visual orientation of Pissodes strobi (Peck) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in relation to host selection behaviour. Canadian Journal of Zoology 55: 2042–2049.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallace, G.K. 1958. Some experiments on form perception in the nymphs of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria Forskal. Journal of Experimental Biology 35: 765–775.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weseloh, R.M. 1985 a. Changes in population size, dispersal behavior, and reproduction of Calosoma sycophanta (Coleoptera: Carabidae), associated with changes in gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), abundance. Environmental Entomology 14: 370–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weseloh, R.M. 1985 b. Predation by Calosoma sycophanta L. (Coleoptera: Carabidae): Evidence for a large impact on gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), pupae. The Canadian Entomologist 117: 1117–1126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weseloh, R.M. 1990. Experimental forest releases of Calosoma sycophanta (Coleoptera: Carabidae) against the gypsy moth. Journal of Economic Entomology 83: 2229–2234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weseloh, R.M. 1993. Adult feeding affects fecundity of the predator, Calosoma sycophanta (Col.: Carabidae). Entomophaga 38: 435–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weseloh, R.M. 1996. Rearing the cannibalistic larvae of Calosoma sycophanta (Coleoptera: Lymantriidae) in groups. Journal of Entomological Sciences 31: 33–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weseloh, R., Bernon, G., Butler, L., Fuester, R., McCullough, D., and Stehr, F.. 1995. Releases of Calosoma sycophanta (Coleoptera: Carabidae) near the edge of gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) distribution. Environmental Entomology 24: 1713–1717.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Westfall, P.H., and Young, S.S.. 1993. Resampling-based Multiple Testing. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, NY. 340 pp.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, L. 1988. SYSTAT: The System for Statistics. SYSTAT, Evanston, IL. 822 pp.Google Scholar