Variation in Oviposition Preference of Heliothis virescens in Relation to Macroevolutionary Patterns of Heliothine Host Range

Abstract

When cotton, geranium, petunia, tobacco, tomato, and velvetleaf were presented simultaneously to strains of the Heliothine moth, Heliothis virescens (F.), from Arizona (AZ), Mississippi (MS), and North Carolina (NC), oviposition choices were similar, while a strain from the Virgin Islands (VI) was significantly different from both the AZ and MS strains. In the MS-VI sixhost test, the VI strain laid a higher proportion of its eggs on tomato and a lower proportion of its eggs on petunia than did the MS strain. Since petunia and tomato are in the same plant family (Solanaceae), differences between the strains in host preference do not appear to involve traits common to all members of a plant family. In the AZ-VI six-host test, the AZ strain laid a higher percentage of its eggs on tobacco and lower percentages on geranium and velvetleaf (Malvaceae) than did the VI strain. The percentages of eggs laid on cotton (Malvaceae) by the two strains were not significantly different. When moths were placed in cages with only tobacco and geranium, the AZ strain again laid a higher percentage of its eggs on tobacco than did the VI strain. However, when host choice was restricted to tobacco and cotton or velvetleaf and cotton, no significant difference between strains was found. Reciprocal hybrids ofthe AZ and VI strains were intermediate to the parental stocks in their preference for tobacco over geranium, indicating that a genetic mechanism was responsible for oviposition preference. The relevance ofthese findings to seemingly rapid fluxes in host range among members of the Heliothinae is discussed.

Polyphagy and primary host plants: oviposition preference versus larval performance in the lepidopteran pest Helicoverpa armigera

“…The ovipositional preference of H. armigera moths, feeding behaviour of neonates and development rates of mature larvae are the same across Australian and Indian populations, which represent different subspecies (Hardwick 1965), in relation to pigeon pea. These results suggest that the primary adaptations of this insect species for host recognition and acceptance may be similar across their geographical distribution (as illustrated for some of the host-associated adaptations of some other herbivorous insect species (Shel'Deshova 1967;Waldvogel and Gould 1990;Thompson 1993)). This suggestion is supported by electrophysiological data on this species.…”

Genetic Structure and Gene Flow Among Brazilian Populations of <I>Heliothis virescens</I> (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…In Brazil, the species is distributed in northeastern and central regions, in all major cotton-producing areas (Fitt 1989, Degrande 1998. H. virescens was described feeding on at least 99 species in 14 families of host plants (Waldvogel andGould 1990, Blanco et al 2007), and its polyphagy, coupled with its facultative migratory behavior (Schneider 1989), allows the species to exploit several cultivated and wild hosts. As a consequence, H. virescens can display quick growth rates and a great potential to damage cultivated hosts.…”

Heliothis virescens and Bt cotton in the United States

“…By this time, cotton would have a great influence producing this generation which is probably reflected (C.A.B., unpublished). These observations indicate that perhaps there is a physiological 77 or genetic [80][81][82] differentiation in TBW host races that may be responsible for these preferences, which will be addressed below.…”