Longevity and egg development of adult female boll weevils fed exclusively on different parts and stages of cotton fruiting bodies

Abstract

The capacities of the rind (i.e., the developing calyx and petals of squares; and the outer casing, or husk, of bolls) and the internal reproductive portion of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae), squares of three sizes, and bolls of three ages to influence adult female boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), longevity and egg production were evaluated in laboratory bioassays. While feeding on the reproductive portion of squares was expected to support adult boll weevils for considerable periods of time (e.g., medium square reproductive portion: ≈185 days), feeding on rinds also resulted in substantial longevity (e.g., medium square rind: ≈120 days). As anticipated, feeding on the reproductive portion of squares resulted in formation of chorionated eggs in mated females, but a diet comprised exclusively of rinds, particularly from large squares, was associated with gravidity and high fecundity relative to rinds of young and mature bolls. The reproductive portion and rind of post‐bloom and young bolls as sources of food resulted in limited gravidity while mature bolls were not associated with any egg formation. These findings further our understanding of how boll weevils feed on different parts of the cotton plant and how those parts as food sources are related to the biology and ecology of the boll weevil.

Pepper Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Preferences for Specific Pepper Cultivars, Plant Parts, Fruit Colors, Fruit Sizes, and Timing

“…Egg production and survival to adulthood in laboratory petri dishes and adult feeding and oviposition in the field were each lower on small (1–3 mm) than on large (5.5–8 mm diameter) buds [41,42]. Reproductive portions of large buds provided enough food for A. grandis larvae to complete development resulting in greater fecundity than smaller buds or fruit, although they fed less often on large buds than on young fruit (5–10 days old) [43,44]. Overall, feeding on reproductive portions of fruiting bodies promoted more egg production than rinds, and the buds were nutritionally superior to fruit [44].…”

“…Reproductive portions of large buds provided enough food for A. grandis larvae to complete development resulting in greater fecundity than smaller buds or fruit, although they fed less often on large buds than on young fruit (5–10 days old) [43,44]. Overall, feeding on reproductive portions of fruiting bodies promoted more egg production than rinds, and the buds were nutritionally superior to fruit [44]. Anthonomus grandis and A. eugenii are closely related species with similar life cycles.…”

Boll weevil invasion process in Argentina

“…Alternate food sources explain why adult boll weevils had been collected in Misiones province despite the absence of cotton (Cuadrado 2002;Showler 2009b) because boll weevils likely reproduced in cotton fields, then many dispersed to local citrus orchards and possibly other food sources, including prickly pear cactus, Opuntia spp., none of which facilitate egg production Bariola 1984;Benedict et al 1991;Showler and Abrigo 2007). When volunteer cotton or other malvaceous host plants containing the combination of nutrients that is conducive to egg production become available, and when cotton squares are available during the following spring, reproduction resumes (Showler 2008(Showler , 2009a.…”

Survival and preference of cotton boll weevil adults for alternative food sources

“…Despite the frequent records of pollen feeding by boll weevils, which are partly due to the fact that it is easier to detect pollen in the insect gut after dissection, they can also consume floral and extrafloral nectar and other plant tissues (Showler, 2008(Showler, , 2009. The nutritional value of these two resources is still unknown, as well as their isolated effect on boll weevil survival.…”