Life history and captive rearing of the Wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola, Lygaeidae), an alpine carnivore endemic to the Mauna Kea volcano of Hawaii

Eiben, Jesse A.; Rubinoff, Daniel

doi:10.1007/s10841-010-9298-y

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…One clear example of a microbiome shift is found in the wekiu bug (Heteroptera: Nysius wekiuicola ). Nysius wekiuicola transitioned from plant feeding at low elevations to scavenging carrion on the sub-alpine summit of Mauna Kea (~4000 m)—an adaptation not known to occur in any other species in the genus [ 26 , 27 ]. Members of the Nysius genus harbor an obligate symbiont, “ Ca.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specific examples include the iconic wekiu bug and sister taxon (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nysius wekiuicola and Ny. aa ) that have transitioned from plant feeding to alpine scavenging of dead insects capable of withstanding sub-freezing temperatures—an adaptation not found in any other members of this globally distributed genus [ 26 , 27 ]; the caterpillar ( Eupithecia spp.) that switched from a pollen diet to carnivory; and, the drosophilid fly ( Scaptomyza [ Titanochaeta ] spp.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Native Hawaiian Insect Microbiome Initiative: A Critical Perspective for Hawaiian Insect Evolution

Poff

Stever

Reil

et al. 2017

Insects

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Insects associate with a diversity of microbes that can shape host ecology and diversity by providing essential biological and adaptive services. For most insect groups, the evolutionary implications of host–microbe interactions remain poorly understood. Geographically discrete areas with high biodiversity offer powerful, simplified model systems to better understand insect–microbe interactions. Hawaii boasts a diverse endemic insect fauna (~6000 species) characterized by spectacular adaptive radiations. Despite this, little is known about the role of bacteria in shaping this diversity. To address this knowledge gap, we inaugurate the Native Hawaiian Insect Microbiome Initiative (NHIMI). The NHIMI is an effort intended to develop a framework for informing evolutionary and biological studies in Hawaii. To initiate this effort, we have sequenced the bacterial microbiomes of thirteen species representing iconic, endemic Hawaiian insect groups. Our results show that native Hawaiian insects associate with a diversity of bacteria that exhibit a wide phylogenetic breadth. Several groups show predictable associations with obligate microbes that permit diet specialization. Others exhibit unique ecological transitions that are correlated with shifts in their microbiomes (e.g., transition to carrion feeding from plant-feeding in Nysius wekiuicola). Finally, some groups, such as the Hawaiian Drosophila, have relatively diverse microbiomes with a conserved core of bacterial taxa across multiple species and islands.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Native Hawaiian Insect Microbiome Initiative: A Critical Perspective for Hawaiian Insect Evolution

Poff

Stever

Reil

et al. 2017

Insects

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“…Throughout the summer and fall we found a diversity of wekiu bug stadia, likely from overlapping generations (Eiben & Rubinoff ). The few wekiu bugs we captured in early spring were likely representatives of a long‐lived and slowly developing over‐wintering cohort, which mate and lay eggs in late spring as more sunlight warms the microhabitat and melts snow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wekiu bugs can survive below 0 °C (Duman & Montgomery ), but how they can do this is unknown (Ziegler ). Because of the variability in depth and composition of the rock substrate within and between cinder cones and the drastic fluctuations in wekiu bug trap captures within cinder cones and throughout the year (Porter & Englund ; Eiben & Rubinoff ), a detailed analysis to understand how the wekiu bug survives and reproduces within the alpine desert habitat is necessary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Agriculture‐Developed Demographic Analysis for the Conservation of the Hawaiian Alpine Wekiu Bug

Eiben

Rubinoff

2014

Conservation Biology

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Insects that should be considered for conservation attention are often overlooked because of a lack of data. The detailed information necessary to assess population growth, decline, and maximum range is particularly difficult to acquire for rare and cryptic species. Many of these difficulties can be overcome with the use of life table analyses and heat energy accumulation models common in agriculture. The wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola), endemic to the summit of one volcanic mountain in Hawaii, is a rare insect living in an environmentally sensitive alpine stone desert, where field-based population assessments would be inefficient or potentially detrimental to natural and cultural resources. We conducted laboratory experiments with the insects by manipulating rearing temperatures of laboratory colonies and made detailed observations of habitat conditions to develop life tables representing population growth parameters and environmental models for wekiu bug phenology and demographic change. Wekiu bugs developed at temperatures only found in its environment on sunny days and required the thermal buffer found on cinder cones for growth and population increase. Wekiu bugs required approximately 3.5 months to complete one generation. The bug developed optimally from 26 to 30 °C, temperatures that are much higher than the air temperature attains in its elevational range. The developmental temperature range of the species confirmed a physiological reason why the wekiu bug is only found on cinder cones. This physiology information can help guide population monitoring and inform habitat restoration and conservation. The wekiu bug was a candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and the developmental parameters we quantified were used to determine the species would not be listed as endangered or threatened. The use of developmental threshold experiments, life table analyses, and degree day modeling can directly inform otherwise unobservable habitat needs and demographic characteristics of extremely rare insects.

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“…A. kuamauna larvae have been collected throughout the alpine and subalpine ecosystems (3000-4205m) on Maunakea including tephra rock cinder cones and glacial till substrates. Larvae appear to be associated with ash substrates which are higher in relative humidity and experience smaller changes in temperature than cinder substrates (Eiben & Rubinoff 2010). The ash substrates may reduce larval desiccation and allow for thermoregulation in this extremely dry and harsh environment, as has been observed in the co-occurring wēkiu bug (Duman & Montgomery 1991;Eiben & Rubinoff 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

Two new day-flying species of Agrotis Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the alpine summit of the Maunakea Volcano

Medeiros¹,

Kirkpatrick²,

Elliott³

et al. 2019

Zootaxa

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874

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Life history and captive rearing of the Wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola, Lygaeidae), an alpine carnivore endemic to the Mauna Kea volcano of Hawaii

Cited by 8 publications

References 11 publications

The Native Hawaiian Insect Microbiome Initiative: A Critical Perspective for Hawaiian Insect Evolution

The Native Hawaiian Insect Microbiome Initiative: A Critical Perspective for Hawaiian Insect Evolution

Application of Agriculture‐Developed Demographic Analysis for the Conservation of the Hawaiian Alpine Wekiu Bug

Two new day-flying species of Agrotis Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the alpine summit of the Maunakea Volcano

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