Caterpillar Roll

L E G O P T E R A
Tiger Moth

Amphiesmenoptera, double-membrane wing

 Aquatic (larvae) Most larvae live in cases TRICHOPTERA, revisited Adults: hairy wings (cf. scaly),
do not feed

Lepidoptera: General Characteristics

Adults = moths or butterflies with:

Long, nectar-sucking proboscis

(maxillary galeae) in most Prominent antennae, males often more ornate Large, scale-covered wings
Larvae = caterpillars with:

Head capsule Chewing mandibles Stemmata Prolegs Silk glands & spinnerettes

Hawk moths (Sphingidae) & hummingbirds: overlap in scale, aerodynamics, physiology, behavior, & ecology.

photo EAS

Brephidium exilis (Lycaenidae), smallest butterfly in North America, wingspan about 1.5 cm. Recently noted in WA!

Holometaboly!

Deaths head sphinx moth life cycle. Illustration by Maria Sybilla Merian, ca.1690, one of the first female European naturalists.

CATERPILLARS!

Typical Caterpillar Morphology

stemmata

digestive system

(imaginal disk)

Caterpillar mortality can be very high, even among well-protected species.

photo EAS

Megalopyge opercularis, a puss caterpillar with urticating hairs.

head

Expert mimesis/crypsis artists.

Highly refined morphological/behavioral mimesis in a caterpillar.

Antennae NOT ! Papilio caterpillar displaying protrusible warning/odoriferous osmeterium.

More caterpillar defenses

Gall-making moth larva in desert gourd, Arizona.

photo: EAS

eyespots

fecal mimesis

WINGS!

Butterfly wing scales. X ~200

Light-refracting ultrastructure of the ribs of a butterfly scale. X 18,000

Wing Pattern Genesis

The 89 butterfly. Wing pattern formation begins in the embryological wing bud tissue as cell regions proliferate according to simple rules.

Wings as reproductive flags.

Visual attractiveness strategies between sexes in two pierids; sexual dimorphism in ultraviolet reflectance (Pieridae: LEPIDOPTERA)
from Rutowski, 1998

Wing sexual dimorphism -only one sex disperses.

photo: photoEAS EAS

Moths sans wings! Wingless female of Orgyia sp., Lymantriidae.

They are all MOTHS!

Luna moth Clearwing moth

An ermine moth (Yponomeutidae).

photo EAS

A clearwing moth (Sesiidae).

Moth or Butterfly?
Proposition: 1) All Lepidoptera are MOTHS! 2) Butterflies are specialized, dayflying moths!
(Pyle: moths are honorary butterflies!) Character / Group ~ Species Richness Activity Period Eggs Nocturnal Laid in batches
Lepidopterous antennal types.

Moth
91% Diurnal

Butterfly
9% Laid singly Clubbed or knobbed (hooked in the Hesperiidae) (primarily) Visual + (secondarily) Pheromones
continued

Plumose, pectinate, Antennal Morphology thickened, or filiform Sexual Attraction Pheromones

female

male

Sexual dimorphism in nocturnal moth antennae.

more Moth or Butterfly?

Character / Group Pupal Morphology Body hair Wing Coupling

Moth
Usually in a cocoon made
of silk and sometimes hair from last larval instar.

Butterfly
Usually a bare chrysalis
(last larval instar skin).

Often dense Frenulum, one or more

stiff bristle at the base of HW that hooks to the underside of the FW for flight.

Usually sparse Lobed process at the base of

HW that holds the wings together for flight.

Wing Position Color

Held flat or rooflike over the body. Typically drab but many
exceptions

Held vertically upright. Usually brightly colored,

at least dorsal wing surfaces

Size Archtypal family

Minute to giant Noctuidae, noctuids

Medium to large Papilionidae, swallowtails

Skippers (Hesperiidae), the exception to the dichotomy.

Sister group to rest of butterflies. Wings held at an angle Antennae hooked Distinctive flight behavior, Body robust, moth-like larval morphology.

photo EAS

The chief source of energy for most adult Lepidoptera is flower nectar. Many contribute to pollination.

Lepidoptera are second after bees in importance as pollinators. Many flowers are specifically adapted for pollination by moths, even down to a one-to-one correspondence of species. Darwin recognized this.

Puddling behavior, long-lived adults imbibing micronutrients for use in egg maturation and other aspects of reproduction.

Female Parnassius clodius with attached male sphragis, a type of mating plug.

TRICHOPTERA - NOT!
An aquatic moth! Reiterative evolution of an aquatic life cycle.

gills

pupal case

Life cycle of Paragyractis confusalis (Pyralidae: LEPIDOPTERA) an aquatic moth with a caddisfly-like natural history.
In memoriam: Dr. Harry Lange

Unusual feeding habits in moths.

Fruit-feeding moth.

The blood-sucking moth Calpe eustrigata of southeast Asia. Mouthparts modified for from Evans, 1984 piercing mammal skin.

Some caterpillars have coevolved with ants and may be social parasites. Many species of blues (Lycaenidae) have this habit.

Adoption strategy of a socially parasitic predatory caterpillar.

Worker ant bringing home a Lycaenid caterpillar.

2 glands are used to: pacify an ant and encourage adoption. Once in the ant nest, the caterpillar commences to feed on the ant larvae.
from Holldobler & Wilson 1986

A carnivorous caterpillar A carnivorous caterpillar from Hawaii

Photo: National Geographic

Silk moths, Bombyx mori a 100% captive species

c
Major lepidopteran pests. a) codling moth, Cydia pomonella (Tortricidae); b) case-making clothes moth, Tinea pellionella (Tineidae); c) European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Pyralidae); d) Mediterranean flour moth, Anagasta kuehniella (Pyralidae).

d
all photos from Borror, DeLong, & Triplehorn 1981

Western Tent Caterpillar

male

female

Gregarious, group-feeding tent caterpillars (Lasiocampidae) typically have cyclic population curves spanning several years.

Native to W. WA. Although unsightly, defoliation is rarely fatal to the tree.

Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar

European native, introduced

to N. America in late 1800s to breed silk moths

Wide host range, including

many broadleaf forest trees of N. America Escaped without natural control Since mid-1900s, an ecosystem-scale pest Now threatening western forests

A Related West Coast Threat:

The Asian Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar (Asian subspecies) Host range includes Douglass Fir, other conifers Major threat to Pacific Northwest ecosystems Could become established any time Both subspecies of Gypsy Moths are under constant
surveillance in Washington. Control programs have so far stopped several minor infestations. The main management tools are pheromone traps and a Lepidopteran-specific strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (BT).

Gypsy moth damage in an eastern forest (summer). Most trees do not survive multiple defoliations.

Washington Butterfly Association (WABA)

http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabaws/index.htm

Meets every 1st Wednesday, 19:00 at CUH

~ end ~