Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Diapause decision in the small tortoiseshell butterfly, Aglais urticae

Wiklund, Christer ; Lehmann, Philipp and Friberg, Magne LU (2019) In Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 167(5). p.433-441
Abstract

Insects in temperate areas spend the inhospitable winter conditions in a resting stage known as diapause. In species that diapause in the larval or pupal stage, the decision whether to diapause or develop directly is customarily taken during the late instars, with long days (i.e., long light phases) and high temperatures promoting direct development. Among butterflies that overwinter as adults, data are rare and variable, but imply that the larval daylength conditions can affect the pathway decision. We studied the small tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Nymphalini), which is partially bivoltine from Central Scandinavia and southwards, and tested whether the pathway decision is taken in the larval or adult... (More)

Insects in temperate areas spend the inhospitable winter conditions in a resting stage known as diapause. In species that diapause in the larval or pupal stage, the decision whether to diapause or develop directly is customarily taken during the late instars, with long days (i.e., long light phases) and high temperatures promoting direct development. Among butterflies that overwinter as adults, data are rare and variable, but imply that the larval daylength conditions can affect the pathway decision. We studied the small tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Nymphalini), which is partially bivoltine from Central Scandinavia and southwards, and tested whether the pathway decision is taken in the larval or adult stage. We reared larvae under long-day (L22:D2) or short-day (L12:D12) photoperiods, and recorded the pathway taken by the eclosing adults by scoring their propensity to mate and produce eggs. We also tested whether the larval photoperiod influenced adult ability to diapause by assessing adult survival. The results clearly indicate that (1) there is no detectable effect of larval photoperiod treatment on the pathway decision taken by adults whether to enter diapause or to develop directly, (2) some individuals are obligately univoltine and insensitive to photoperiod during adulthood, whereas (3) other individuals can facultatively enter diapause or direct development, depending on the photoperiod experienced after adult eclosion.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
adult hibernation, daylength, developmental pathway, Lepidoptera, life cycle regulation, Nymphalidae, photoperiod
in
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
volume
167
issue
5
pages
433 - 441
publisher
Wiley
external identifiers
  • scopus:85063777348
ISSN
0013-8703
DOI
10.1111/eea.12780
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2e71af27-5dc1-493a-8cee-ff8f56555965
date added to LUP
2019-04-23 11:09:36
date last changed
2024-03-03 01:29:54
@article{2e71af27-5dc1-493a-8cee-ff8f56555965,
  abstract     = {{<p>Insects in temperate areas spend the inhospitable winter conditions in a resting stage known as diapause. In species that diapause in the larval or pupal stage, the decision whether to diapause or develop directly is customarily taken during the late instars, with long days (i.e., long light phases) and high temperatures promoting direct development. Among butterflies that overwinter as adults, data are rare and variable, but imply that the larval daylength conditions can affect the pathway decision. We studied the small tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Nymphalini), which is partially bivoltine from Central Scandinavia and southwards, and tested whether the pathway decision is taken in the larval or adult stage. We reared larvae under long-day (L22:D2) or short-day (L12:D12) photoperiods, and recorded the pathway taken by the eclosing adults by scoring their propensity to mate and produce eggs. We also tested whether the larval photoperiod influenced adult ability to diapause by assessing adult survival. The results clearly indicate that (1) there is no detectable effect of larval photoperiod treatment on the pathway decision taken by adults whether to enter diapause or to develop directly, (2) some individuals are obligately univoltine and insensitive to photoperiod during adulthood, whereas (3) other individuals can facultatively enter diapause or direct development, depending on the photoperiod experienced after adult eclosion.</p>}},
  author       = {{Wiklund, Christer and Lehmann, Philipp and Friberg, Magne}},
  issn         = {{0013-8703}},
  keywords     = {{adult hibernation; daylength; developmental pathway; Lepidoptera; life cycle regulation; Nymphalidae; photoperiod}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{433--441}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley}},
  series       = {{Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata}},
  title        = {{Diapause decision in the small tortoiseshell butterfly, Aglais urticae}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eea.12780}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/eea.12780}},
  volume       = {{167}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}