Within and between species scaling in the weight, water, carbon and nitrogen contents of eggs and neonate larvae of twelve satyrine butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Abstract

Abstract. The fresh weight, dry weight, and C and N content of the eggs, egg shells and neonate larvae of several satyrines were measured. This was done in order to assess the specificity of the composition of the egg and larvae, the phylogenetic or ecological nature of the variation and the existence of structural constraints on the composition of the offspring. All the traits investigated were found to be highly species-specific. The nature of the variation was not primarily phylogenetic, suggesting that the composition of the offspring has an ecological meaning. However, only a slight association was detected between three life history traits or habitat features and the compositions of the eggs or larvae, namely: female egg dropping was associated with a high C content of the eggs, xerophily with a high C : N ratio, and a high content of N in the larvae with egg diapause. The evidence for intra-specific allometry between the traits investigated and egg weight varied among the species, suggesting that the slope of such relationship may be a specific feature. There was a close to isometric relationship between C and N contents in every species. Therefore simple C : N ratios are independent of egg size, hence they can be used directly in comparative studies. Across species analyses indicated that small offspring contained a proportionally low amount of carbon and had a high dry matter content, suggesting that selection for small eggs was accompanied by selection for an enhanced proportion of nitrogen per egg. Finally, the species with large adult females invested comparatively more nitrogen per egg, which indicates a potential, constraint-based advantage of large adult size.

One step closer to understanding the ecology of Cameraria ohridella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): The effects of light conditions

“…Egg number and egg quality can be independent of female body size (Kiefer et al, 2016). On the other hand, the investment of resources by females into offspring can result in larger insects (García- Barros, 2006). Moreover, an evaluation of prenatal and postnatal effects on offspring body size (Steiger, 2013) reveal that the latter accounts for most of the variation in offspring performance.…”

Adult nutrition and butterfly fitness: effects of diet quality on reproductive output, egg composition, and egg hatching success

“…In line with other data on insects [ 51 , 67 ], B. anynana eggs consist mainly of water, proteins and lipids. An egg water content of about 84% is typical for satyrine butterflies [ 68 ]. Highest values were found in the banana, lowest in the yeast group.…”

Large-sized insects show stronger seasonality than small-sized ones: a case study of fruit-feeding butterflies

“…Consequently, evolutionary pressures that synchronize insect emergence with these windows are expected to occur. Because larger insects need to allocate more nitrogen per egg (García‐Barros, 2006), and require more resources to complete their life cycle, it is reasonable to surmise that larger insects may appear in shorter periods comparative to smaller ones. For butterflies, this period is the flight period of adults.…”