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SIMULATION OF PREDATION BY ANTS BASED ON DIRECT OBSERVATIONS OF ATTACKS ON GYPSY MOTH LARVAE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Ronald M. Weseloh
Ronald M. Weseloh
Affiliation:
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut, USA06504
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Abstract

Predation of gypsy moth larvae, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), by ants was observed by placing caterpillars on the forest floor and waiting for ants to find them or by placing caterpillars very close to foraging ants. Over 80% of contacts with caterpillars were made by Formica spp. The rate of successful capture varied with caterpillar instar, generally becoming lower as larvae became larger. However, neonates were successfully attacked by ants less often than first-instar larvae that had fed. Neonates probably have developed defenses that prevent excessive predation because many fall to the forest floor when dispersing. The distribution of time intervals between encounters of ants with larvae was adequately fit by an exponential distribution having a mean waiting time of 20 min. This distribution was used to construct a simulation model of gypsy moth larval predation by ants. Based on the model results, ant success rate, ant foraging density, and residence time of larvae on the forest floor were important determinants of mortality caused by ants.

Résumé

On a étudié la prédation de larves de la spongieuse Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera : Lymantriidae) par les fourmis en forêt, en disposant des chenilles sur le sol et en attendant qu’elles soient trouvées par les fourmis, ou en les plaçant devant des fourmis en quête de nourriture. Près de 80% des contacts ont été établis par les Formica spp. L’incidence des captures réussies a varié avec le stade des chenilles, la tendance étant à une baisse avec l’augmentation de la taille. Cependant, le succès de capture des larves néonates était moins élevé que celui des larves de premier stade nourries. Les néonates ont probablement des moyens de défense qui limitent la prédation excessive, en rapport avec le risque élevé de chute lors de la dispersion. La distribution des intervalles précédant une rencontre avec une fourmi a pu être décrite par une loi exponentielle avec un temps moyen d’attente de 20 min. On a utilisé cette distribution dans une modèle de simulation de la prédation des larves de spongieuse par les fourmis. D’après les résultats, l’incidence de succès des fourmis, la densité des fourmis en quête de proies, et le temps de résidence des larves sur le sol sont des facteurs déterminants de la mortalité deux aux fourmis.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 121 , Issue 12 , December 1989 , pp. 1069 - 1076
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1989

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