Determining the migration duration of rice leaf folder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée)) moths using a trajectory analytical approach

Many moths finish their long distance migration after consecutive nights, but little is known about migration duration and distance. This information is key to predicting migration pathways and understanding their evolution. Tethered flight experiments have shown that ovarian development of rice lea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2017-01, Vol.7 (1), p.39853-39853, Article 39853
Main Authors: Wang, Feng-Ying, Yang, Fan, Lu, Ming-Hong, Luo, Shan-Yu, Zhai, Bao-Ping, Lim, Ka-Sing, McInerney, Caitríona E., Hu, Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/2039
631/601/18
Butterflies & moths
Females
Flight
Geographical distribution
Humanities and Social Sciences
Insect migration
Leaves
Mating
Migration
Migratory species
multidisciplinary
Natural selection
Ovaries
Plant breeding
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:Many moths finish their long distance migration after consecutive nights, but little is known about migration duration and distance. This information is key to predicting migration pathways and understanding their evolution. Tethered flight experiments have shown that ovarian development of rice leaf folder ( Cnaphalocrocis medinalis [Guenée]) moths was accelerated and synchronized by flight in the first three nights, whereby most females were then matured for mating and reproduction. Thus, it was supposed that this moth might fly three nights to complete its migration. To test this hypothesis, 9 year’s field data for C. medinalis was collected from Nanning, Guangxi Autonomous Region in China. Forward trajectories indicated that most moths arrived at suitable breeding areas after three nights’ flight. Thus, for C. medinalis this migration duration and distance was a reasonable adaptation to the geographic distribution of suitable habitat. The development of female moth ovaries after three consecutive night flights appears to be a well-balanced survival strategy for this species to strike between migration and reproduction benefits. Hence, an optimum solution of migration-reproduction trade-offs in energy allocation evolved in response to the natural selection on migration route and physiological traits.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep39853