A precautionary tale about rarity: On the larva and life history of Lithophane joannis (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae)

2006·1.5 MB·

174 Journalofthe Lepidoptehists' Society
GlasTsebxears.c,ContrMi.bC..MaMri.nSncio.2&7:noV..sCupapllh.oun. 2000. Butterflies Smithth,eDW.esS.t,IL.ndDi.esMainldlSeoru&thJ.FlYo.riMdial.lOexrf.or1d99U4n.iveTrhseitByutPtreersfsl,ieNseowf
throughJb.i,noculars. OxfordUJn.iversityPress,NewYork. 242pp. York.264pp.32pi
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flies. Ediluz, Maracaibo.269pp. — castaliaFab. (Lepid.). Entomol. News. 38:97-100'.
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checklist. StateofFlorida DepartmentofAgriculture, Division London,p.133.
ofPlantIndustry. Gainesville.Florida. 363pp. Young, F. N. 1938. Some interesting butterfly records for south
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ScientificPublishers,Gainesville,Florida. 16Spp.
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CaterpillarsandTheirHost Plants. UniversityPressofFlorida,
Gainesville. 341pp. Beach. Florida, 32962, USA: Email:
Miyata,A. 2000. MassmigrationofKricogoniahjside (Lepidoptera, [email protected], John V. Calhoun, 977 Wicks
Pieridae) in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1995. Drive, Palm Harbor, Florida, 34684, USA: Email:
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Collins. London, England. 224pp. Avenue SW, Vero Beach, Florida, 32962, USA
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Automeris io and the re-occurrence of Kricogonia hjside in Receivedforpublication 29December2005, revisedandaccepted21
Florida. NewsLepid.Soc.44:128. June2006.
JournaloftlieLepidopterists'Society
60(3),2006,174-176
A PRECAUTIONARYTALE ABOUT RARITY7 ON THE LARVAAND LIFE HISTORY
:
OF LITHOPHANEJOANNIS (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE)
Additionalkeywords:shelter-forming.Aesculusflava, Lithophaneinnominata,Lithophanepatefacta
This note is about rarity, and how species that are enough to raise doubt. Based on the host association
regardedas scarce maybe anythingbut, onceaspects of andphenotype, Dale Schweitzerguesseddiatthelarvae
their life history are better understood. Lithophane were those ofLithophanejoannis. Return trips to the
joannis Cove11 and Metzler was not described until samepullout along Newfound Gap Roadin 2002, 2003,
1992. Prior to the authors' distribution of paratypes and 2004, yielded additional examples of the
there were no specimens of L. joannis in any major Lithophane. Typically, onlyoneortwocaterpillarswere
eastern institution, i.e., the Smithsonian, American collected each year. Unfortunately, I failed repeatedly
Museum, and Carnegie Museum. NotWilliam Forbes; to rear examples through to the adult stage-
norJackFranclemont, DougFerguson, MichaelPogue, inappropriate foliage was offered or larvae were lost
Eric Quinter, or Tim McCabe has collected the moth. during the obligator)- four-month prepupal diapause
— ,
Dale Schweitzerwrotehis dissertation onthetribe he common to Lithophane and other xylenines. In 2005,
has yet to see the moth alive. Despite year-round while light trapping at the same site above die
surveys in—Great Smoky Mountains National Park Chimneys Picnic area, I thoroughly searched the same
(GSMNP) and especially over the last five years 4m yellowbuckeye tree that had Yielded caterpillars in
during which time die Park has been die focus of everyyearprevious. Nine Lithophane caterpillarswere
intensive s—urveys as part of its "All Taxon Biodiversity found in 20 minutes ofsearching (by flashlight). The
Inventory" the moth escaped detection. Yet larvaewerefeeding,perchedondieundersideofleaves,
Lithophanejoannis is among the Park's most common orobservedwalkingalongthetrunk, withthe exception
lepidopterans in middle elevation cove forests. of two larvae that were recovered from within leaf
On 19 May 2001 I collected two Lithophane larvae shelters. Both of these latter individuals were in the
crawling up the trunk of a small yellow buckeye tree process ofmolting.
(Aesculus flava Ait.) (Hippocastanaceae) while Returning to the same area two days later (20 May,
collecting modis at a sheet and mercury light (with 2005), I happened upon abuckeye treewidi numerous
Doug Ferguson), above the Chimneys Campground leafshelters. Upon openingthe first, I foundalastinstar
(1000m) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Lithophane. Searching this same tree I counted more
Sevier County, Tennessee. The caterpillars looked than20additionalLithophanejoanniscaterpillarsinless
similar to diose of the innominata group (e.g., L. than 10 minutes byopeningother leafshelters. Nearly
hemina Grote, L. patefacta (Walker), L. petulca Grote everyshelterhad acaterpillar and some two (fewifany
and L. innominata (Small), and others), but different ofthese Yvere in the process ofa molt). No additional
—
Volume 60. Number 3 175
caterpillars were obtainedbvbeatinglimbs of the same
tree over a large queen-sized bed sheet. In late
September, a series of Lithophanejoannis issued from
diis collection (Fig. 1).
The larva ofLithophanejoannis is strongly mottled
(Fig. 2). There is often a straw to yellow tint where
adjacentsegments overlap and/oratanto strawflushto
the middorsal and lateral stripes. The white dorsal
pinacula (Dl and D2 setae) are edgedwith black; both
dorsal pinacula are often embedded in a diffuse dark
patch diat is best developed overthe eighth abdominal
segment. The well-differentiated prothoracic shield is
heavilyblackenedabovediesubdorsalstripe. Belowthe
lateral stripe the subventer and venter are pale and
largelyunmarked. The head bears a dark coronal bar, a
blackspotwithinthefrons (frontaltriangle), andablack-
bar above each antenna. Fully mature last instars are
about 4 cm in length. The middle and penultimate
instars are lime green, translucent, with a strong,
somewhat creamyspiracular stripe and abroken, white
middorsal stripe; die body bears numerous minute
white spots over the trunk (Fig. 3). In appearance the
last instars resemble those of L. hemina and L.
innominata and may not be separable from them,
although most individuals will be recognizable bytheir
pale groundcolor, especiallythose individuals thathave
a pale green, yellowish, or steely blue cast. In most
instances, larvae of L. joannis will be identifiable by
theirhost association (with buckeye).
NoodiereasternLithophane isknowntoconsistently Figs 1-3. Lithophanejoannis: all from Chimneys area of
take up residence in leafshelters. Other members of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sevier County, Ten-
nessee. 1, Reared adult. 2. Lithophanejoannis last instar. 3.
the innominata complex typically rest in bark crevic—es Penultimateinstar.
by day (Wagner 2005) Trunks of Aesculus flava
havingthe ability to take over previouslyspun shelters,
particularly on the understory trees where one can
— cannibalism was not observed in five pint rearing
expecttofindlarvaeinnumbers areoftensmoothand
containersthathoused3-5 middle andlateinstars. And
without fissures in which larvae could conceal
as noted above, I occasionally found shelters with two
themselves. It is not clear ifL.joannis ever spins its
own shelters or only uses those ofother leps. In May larvae. Similarly, 10 of13 larvae collectedin 2006came
from occupied microlepidopteran shelters (see
2006 acollectionof13 additionallarvaewas made from —
— above) no evidence of predation was noted in these
the Chimneys area of the Park all came from leaf
(or any ofthe other shelters opened on the dav ofdie
shelters ofmicrolepidopterans. Eight were collected
from abandoned and pupal shelters made by initial collection in the Park). GSMNP
In the middle elevation cove forests of
Choristoneurafractivittana (Clemens) (Tortricidae) and
where caterpillars of Lithophane joannis were
the remainder from prepupal and pupal shelters spun
by Yponomeuta multipunctella Clemens' discovered, the ins—ect is among the most abundant
noctuid caterpillars on 20 May, 2005, L.joannis was
(Yponomeutidae).
arguably the most common noctuid caterpillarpresent
Several Lithophane are known to be both predatory
in the Chimneys area. At die tvpe localitv in Ohio. L.
and cannibalistic, including the apparently closely-
joannis outnumbered all odier members ofdie genus
related L. patefacta (Schweitzer 1979; Wagner, 2005).
While there would seem to be clear advantages to Lithophane at bait (Covell and Metzler 1992).
Interestingly, adults ignored the light traps diat were
'While Yponomeuta multipunctella larvae normally feed on
Euomjmus,since2004Ihaveincreasinglynotedlarvaeonother run at the same location (Eric Metzlerpers. comm.). L.
hostsinthe Smokies. joannis provides anoteworthycase ofapparentrarity
176 Journalofthe Lepidopterists' Society
if one were to depend on standard light trapping Literature Cited
methods one would conclude that the moth is among Covell, Jr., C. V. and E. H. Metzler. 1992. Two new species of
the rarest lepidopterans in eastern North America. moths (Noctuidae: Acronictinae, Cuculliinae) from midland
Howeverifone employs baitorsearches forcaterpillars SchwUeniittzeedr,StaDt.eFs..,J.1L9e7p9i.d.PrSeodca.t4o6r:y2b2e0h-a2v32i.or in Lithophane quer-
one could concludejust the opposite, that L.joannis is queraandotherspringcaterpillars. Lepid. Soc.33: 129-134.
J.
among the most common noctuids in Appalachian Wagner,D. L. 2005.CaterpillarsofEastern NorthAmerica.Prince-
forests where its foodplant, Aesculus flava, grows in tonUniversityPress.
abundance.
David L. Wagner Department of Ecology and
Identification of the adults was confirmed by Eric
Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut,
Metzler. Vouchers ofboth larvae and adults have been
Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA, E-mail:
deposited at the University ofConnecticut; adults have
[email protected]
also been deposited at the United States National
Museum. Receivedforpublication 7November2005; revised and accepted 9
James Adams, Dale Schweitzer, and Bo Sullivan offered June2006
suggestions on an earlier draft of the paper and Rene Twarkins
assistedwiththelarvalimages.
JournaloftheLepidopterists'Society
60(3),2006,176-178
DIURNAL HERBIVORY DOCUMENTED FOR SPEYERIA IDALIA (NYMPHALIDAE) LARVAE ON
VIOLA SAGITTATA (VIOLACEAE) IN PENNSYLVANIA
Additionalkeywords: regalfritillary,violet,foraging
Only two extant populations of the regal fritillary, locate in the field across the species' range (Scudder
Spei/eria idalia Drury (Nymphalidae), are documented 1889 for New England, TNC 2001 for Pennsylvania,
east ofIndiana (Barton 1996 for Pennsylvania, Hobson Kopperet al. 2001 for Kansas, Debinski pers. com. for
1999 and Chazal 2002 for Virginia). The larger ofthe Iowa), behavioral observations of larvae have been
two populations occurs inside National Guard Training difficulttoobtain (Kopperetal. 2001). Acombinationof
Center-Fort Indiantown Gap (NGTC-FIG), an factors such as low population density (Barton 1995),
approximately 6,925-ha military base located in south- small body size, solitary distribution, cryptic coloration
central Pennsylvania. Comprehensive descriptions of and behavior (Stamp & Wilkens 1993), high mortality
the old-field successional habitats occupied by S. idalia rates (Mattoon et al. 1971, Wagner et al. 1997), and
at NGTC-FIG arepresentedin Barton (1996) andTNC concealingvegetation maypartially explain the modest
(2001). Morphologicandgeneticevidenceindicatesthat numbers offield-documented larvae. Previous surveys
eastern populations may deserve specific or subspecific conductedat NGTC-FIGtodetectlarvaehave resulted
status anddesignation asanevolutionarysignificantunit inverysmall samplesizes (n = 9; Barton 1995) orfailure
(Williams 2001a, 2001b, 2002). In light of the (n = 0; TNC 2000, 2001).
conservationstatusofS. idalia, researchiswarrantedon On May 14, 2001, one S. idalia larva was
its life history. unintentionally discovered at the Pennsylvania site
Nocturnal foraging on Viola species has been during a vegetation study. Shortly thereafter, a
reported or referenced for S. idalia larvae by Holland qualitative survey of selected grasslands, known to be
(1898), Ferris & Brown (1981), Opler & Krizek (1984), inhabited by S. idalia adults duringprevious years, was
Schull (1987), Royer (1988), Iftneret al. (1992), Royer performed in an attempt to detect more larvae.
& Marrone (1992), andWest (1998). However, Kopper Typically conducted between 0900 and 1600 hrs, the
et al. (2001) documented diurnal feeding on V. survey followed a generalized protocol: searching for
pedatifida G. Don (Violaceae) in three out of 12 S. individuals and groups ofV. sagittata (including arrow-
idalia larvaeobservedinKansas. At NGTC-FIG, Barton and ovate-leaved varieties), inspecting violets for
(1995) reported diurnal movements ofS. idalia larvae evidenceofstrip-feedingherbivory(typicalofS. idalia),
and noted the predominance of V. sagittata Aiton and visually scanning violets and the surrounding area
relative to the presence ofother Viola species but did forlarvae. Images ofS. idalia larvae inAllen (1997) and
not describelarval foragingbehavior. Richard & Heitzman (1987) assisted with positive
Because S. idalia larvae have been challenging to species identification.