scholarly journals Ant Tending of Miami Blue Butterfly Larvae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): Partner Diversity and Effects on Larval Performance

2009 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 474 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Larval Performance ◽  
Miami Blue Butterfly ◽  
Blue Butterfly ◽  
Butterfly Larvae

scholarly journals Ant-Related Oviposition and Larval Performance in a Myrmecophilous Lycaenid

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Trager ◽  
Matthew D. Thom ◽  
Jaret C. Daniels
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Miami Blue Butterfly ◽  
Measures Of Performance

We experimentally assessed ant-related oviposition and larval performance in the Miami blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri). Ant tending had sex-dependent effects on most measures of larval growth: female larvae generally benefitted from increased tending frequency whereas male larvae were usually unaffected. The larger size of female larvae tended by ants resulted in a substantial predicted increase in lifetime egg production. Oviposition by adult females that were tended byC. floridanusants as larvae was similar between host plants with or without ants. However, they laid relatively more eggs on plants with ants than did females raised without ants, which laid less than a third of their eggs on plants with ants present. In summary, we found conditional benefits for larvae tended by ants that were not accompanied by oviposition preference for plants with ants present, which is a reasonable result for a system in which ant presence at the time of oviposition is not a reliable indicator of future ant presence. More broadly, our results emphasize the importance of considering the consequences of variation in interspecific interactions, life history traits, and multiple measures of performance when evaluating the costs and benefits of mutualistic relationships.

Point-count methods to monitor butterfly populations when traditional methods fail: a case study with Miami blue butterfly

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica H. Henry ◽  
Nick M. Haddad ◽  
John Wilson ◽  
Phillip Hughes ◽  
Beth Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Miami Blue Butterfly ◽  
Blue Butterfly

scholarly journals Tolerance of High Oral Doses of Nonradioactive and Radioactive Caesium Chloride in the Pale Grass Blue Butterfly Zizeeria maha

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj D. Gurung ◽  
Wataru Taira ◽  
Ko Sakauchi ◽  
Masaki Iwata ◽  
Atsuki Hiyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Effects ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Internal Exposure ◽  
Plant Leaves ◽  
Caesium Chloride ◽  
Toxicological Data ◽  
Pale Grass Blue Butterfly ◽  
Oral Doses ◽  
Blue Butterfly ◽  
Butterfly Larvae

The biological effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident have been examined in the pale grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). In previous internal exposure experiments, larvae were given field-collected contaminated host plant leaves that contained up to 43.5 kBq/kg (leaf) of radioactive caesium. Larvae ingested up to 480 kBq/kg (larva), resulting in high mortality and abnormality rates. However, these results need to be compared with the toxicological data of caesium. Here, we examined the toxicity of both nonradioactive and radioactive caesium chloride on the pale grass blue butterfly. Larvae were fed a caesium-containing artificial diet, ingesting up to 149 MBq/kg (larva) of radioactive caesium (137Cs) or a much higher amount of nonradioactive caesium. We examined the pupation rate, eclosion rate, survival rate up to the adult stage, and the forewing size. In contrast to previous internal exposure experiments using field-collected contaminated leaves, we could not detect any effect. We conclude that the butterfly is tolerant to ionising radiation from 137Cs in the range tested but is vulnerable to radioactive contamination in the field. These results suggest that the biological effects in the field may be mediated through ecological systems and cannot be estimated solely based on radiation doses.

Fire increases ant-tending and survival of the Fender’s blue butterfly larvae

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1063-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norah Warchola ◽  
Carole Bastianelli ◽  
Cheryl B. Schultz ◽  
Elizabeth E. Crone
Keyword(s):  
Blue Butterfly ◽  
Fender’S Blue Butterfly ◽  
Butterfly Larvae
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