Intraseasonal variation in a population of Fountainea ryphea (Cramer) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)

Caldas, Astrid

doi:10.1590/S0101-81751996000200009

Abstract

A different approach was used for the key-factor method in a population study of the tropical butterfly Fountainea ryphea (Cramer, [1776]) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), marking 20 artificial cohorts to identify the mortality levels and associated instars responsible for the variation in numbers within the season of occurrence, when generations overlap broadly. Highest mortality was detected during first instar in 13 cohorts; during second instar in three cohorts; third and fourth instars suffered highest mortality twice. Results showed that first instar mortality due to rainfall and predation, and parasitism on fourth instar could be the main factors promoting differences in number between cohorts throughout the season, although no density-dependent processes could be identified.

Bracon; k-factor; parasitism; predation

Intraseasonal variation in a population of Fountainea ryphea (Cramer) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)

Astrid Caldas

Departamento de Biologia Animal e Vegetal, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, 20559-900 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

ABSTRACT

A different approach was used for the key-factor method in a population study of the tropical butterfly Fountainea ryphea (Cramer, [1776]) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), marking 20 artificial cohorts to identify the mortality levels and associated instars responsible for the variation in numbers within the season of occurrence, when generations overlap broadly. Highest mortality was detected during first instar in 13 cohorts; during second instar in three cohorts; third and fourth instars suffered highest mortality twice. Results showed that first instar mortality due to rainfall and predation, and parasitism on fourth instar could be the main factors promoting differences in number between cohorts throughout the season, although no density-dependent processes could be identified.

Key words:Bracon, k-factor, parasitism, predation

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. I thank the Fundação José Pedro de Oliveira for the permit to develop research inside the Reserve, the manager and guards for their help; Dr. Angélica Maria P.M. Dias for identification of the braconids; and J.P. Dempster, Gerardo Lamas, Robert K. Robbins, Monique Van Sluys, and Henk Wolda for comments on the manuscript. This project was part of my doctoral dissertation, and I thank Woodruff W. Benson for his thorough advise throughout the research. Partially funded by FAEP/UNICAMP (grant kindly requested by W.W. Benson exclusively for my project) and a CAPES -Ministry of Education/Brazil predoctoral fellowship.

Recebido em 30.VIII.1995; aceito em 10.IX.1996.

Banerjee, B. 1979. A key-factor analysis of population fluctuations in Andraca bipunctata Walker (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Bull. Ent. Res. 69:195-201.
Barlow, N.D.; R.A. French & J.F. Pearson. 1986. Population ecology of Wiseana cervinata a pasture pest in New Zealand. J. Appl. Ecol. 23:415-431.
Bauer, G. 1985. Population ecology of Pardia tripunctana Schiff. and Notocelia roborana Den. and Schiff. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) - an example of "Equilibrium species". Oecologia 65:437-441.
Caldas, A. 1994. Biology of Anaea ryphea (Nymphalidae) in Campinas, Brazil. J. Lepid. Soc. 48 (3):248-257.
______. 1995a. Mortality of Anaea ryphea (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) immatures in Panama. J. Res. Lepid. 31 (3-4):195-204.
______. 1995b. Population ecology of Anaea ryphea (Nymphalidae): immatures at Campinas, Brazil. J. Lepid. Soc. 49 (3):234-245.
Danthanarayana, W. 1983. Population ecology of the light brown apple moth, Epyphias postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). J. Anim. Ecol. 52:1-33.
Hassell, M.P.; J. Latto & R.M. May. 1989. Seeing the wood for the trees: detecting density dependence from existing life-table studies. J. Anim. Ecol. 58:883-892.
Hayes, J.L. 1981. The population ecology of a natural population of the pierid butterfly Colias alexandra. Oecologia 49:188-200.
Higashiura, Y. 1987. Larval densities and a life-table for the gipsy moth, Lymantria dispar, estimated using the head-capsule collection method. Ecol. Entomol. 12:25-30.
Morris, R.F. 1959. Single factor analysis in population dynamics. Ecology 40:580-588.
Royama, T. 1981. Evaluation of mortality factors in insect life table analysis. Ecol. Monographs 51:495-505.
Stiling, P. 1988. Density-dependent processes and key factors in insect populations. J. Anim. Ecol. 57: 581-593.
Varley, G.C. & G.R. Gradwell. 1960. Key factors in population studies. J. Anim. Ecol. 29:399-401.
______. 1970. Recent advances in insect population dynamics. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 15:1-24.
Warren, M.S.; E. Pollard & T.J. Bibby. 1986. Annual and long-term changes in a population of the wood white butterfly Leptidea sinapis. J. Anim. Ecol. 55:707-719.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
14 July 2009
Date of issue
1996

History

Accepted
10 Sept 1996
Received
30 Aug 1995

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Banerjee, B. 1979. A key-factor analysis of population fluctuations in Andraca bipunctata Walker (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Bull. Ent. Res. 69:195-201.

[2] Barlow, N.D.; R.A. French & J.F. Pearson. 1986. Population ecology of Wiseana cervinata a pasture pest in New Zealand. J. Appl. Ecol. 23:415-431.

[3] Bauer, G. 1985. Population ecology of Pardia tripunctana Schiff. and Notocelia roborana Den. and Schiff. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) - an example of "Equilibrium species". Oecologia 65:437-441.

[4] Caldas, A. 1994. Biology of Anaea ryphea (Nymphalidae) in Campinas, Brazil. J. Lepid. Soc. 48 (3):248-257.

[5] ______. 1995a. Mortality of Anaea ryphea (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) immatures in Panama. J. Res. Lepid. 31 (3-4):195-204.

[6] ______. 1995b. Population ecology of Anaea ryphea (Nymphalidae): immatures at Campinas, Brazil. J. Lepid. Soc. 49 (3):234-245.

[7] Danthanarayana, W. 1983. Population ecology of the light brown apple moth, Epyphias postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). J. Anim. Ecol. 52:1-33.

[8] Hassell, M.P.; J. Latto & R.M. May. 1989. Seeing the wood for the trees: detecting density dependence from existing life-table studies. J. Anim. Ecol. 58:883-892.

[9] Hayes, J.L. 1981. The population ecology of a natural population of the pierid butterfly Colias alexandra. Oecologia 49:188-200.

[10] Higashiura, Y. 1987. Larval densities and a life-table for the gipsy moth, Lymantria dispar, estimated using the head-capsule collection method. Ecol. Entomol. 12:25-30.

[11] Morris, R.F. 1959. Single factor analysis in population dynamics. Ecology 40:580-588.

[12] Royama, T. 1981. Evaluation of mortality factors in insect life table analysis. Ecol. Monographs 51:495-505.

[13] Stiling, P. 1988. Density-dependent processes and key factors in insect populations. J. Anim. Ecol. 57: 581-593.

[14] Varley, G.C. & G.R. Gradwell. 1960. Key factors in population studies. J. Anim. Ecol. 29:399-401.

[15] ______. 1970. Recent advances in insect population dynamics. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 15:1-24.

[16] Warren, M.S.; E. Pollard & T.J. Bibby. 1986. Annual and long-term changes in a population of the wood white butterfly Leptidea sinapis. J. Anim. Ecol. 55:707-719.