"Wolf-in-Sheep's-Clothing" Strategy of a Predaceous Insect Larva

Eisner, Thomas; Hicks, Karen; Eisner, Maria; Robson, D. S.

doi:10.1126/science.199.4330.790

Cited by 142 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Larval chrysopids camouflage themselves by placing debris, even the husks of their victims, amongst their long hairs ( fig. 34) (Eisner et al, 1978;Eisner and Silberglied, 1988).…”

Section: Paleoecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neuropterid Fauna of Dominican and Mexican Amber (Neuropterida: Megaloptera, Neuroptera)

Engel

Grimaldi²

2007

American Museum Novitates

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“…Larval chrysopids camouflage themselves by placing debris, even the husks of their victims, amongst their long hairs ( fig. 34) (Eisner et al, 1978;Eisner and Silberglied, 1988).…”

Section: Paleoecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neuropterid Fauna of Dominican and Mexican Amber (Neuropterida: Megaloptera, Neuroptera)

Engel

Grimaldi²

2007

American Museum Novitates

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“…Such packets, which in some species have been shown to provide physical protection against ants (8), can render larvae visually conspicuous. Indeed, we readily spotted C. cubana larvae on vegetation in the wild, often on C. mucronata itself.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…debris on the back (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Such packets, which in some species have been shown to provide physical protection against ants (8), can render larvae visually conspicuous.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical defense against predation in an insect egg

Eisner

Eisner²,

Rossini³

et al. 2000

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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120

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The larva of the green lacewing (Ceraeochrysa cubana) (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae) is a natural predator of eggs of Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae), a moth that sequesters pyrrolizidine alkaloids from its larval foodplant (Fabaceae, Crotalaria spp.). Utetheisa eggs are ordinarily endowed with the alkaloid. Alkaloidfree Utetheisa eggs, produced experimentally, are pierced by the larva with its sharp tubular jaws and sucked out. Alkaloid-laden eggs, in contrast, are rejected. When attacking an Utetheisa egg cluster (numbering on average 20 eggs), the larva subjects it to an inspection process. It prods and͞or pierces a small number of eggs (on average two to three) and, if these contain alkaloid, it passes ''negative judgement'' on the remainder of the cluster and turns away. Such generalization on the part of the larva makes sense, because the eggs within clusters differ little in alkaloid content. There is, however, considerable between-cluster variation in egg alkaloid content, so clusters in nature can be expected to range widely in palatability. To check each cluster for acceptability must therefore be adaptive for the larva, just as it must be adaptive for Utetheisa to lay its eggs in large clusters and to apportion alkaloid evenly among eggs of a cluster.Ceraeochrysa cubana ͉ Chrysopidae ͉ Utetheisa ornatrix ͉ Arctiidae ͉ pyrrolizidine alkaloid T he moth Utetheisa ornatrix (family Arctiidae) (henceforth called Utetheisa) endows its eggs with pyrrolizidine alkaloids [henceforth called alkaloid(s)]. It sequesters the chemicals as a larva from its foodplants, legumes of the genus Crotalaria (family Fabaceae), and retains them through metamorphosis into the adult stage. Both parents contribute to the egg endowment. The male transmits alkaloid to the female with the sperm package at mating, and the female allocates a portion of this gift, together with a share of her own alkaloid, to the eggs (1).Here we present evidence that the alkaloids protect the eggs against a natural enemy, the larva of the green lacewing, Ceraeochrysa cubana (family Chrysopidae) ( Fig. 1 A and B). Specifically, we demonstrate that (i) the larva, in laboratory tests, rejects alkaloid-containing Utetheisa eggs, while avidly consuming alkaloid-free eggs offered as controls; (ii) the larva exercises this discrimination in the field as well; (iii) the larva is more strongly deterred by the N-oxide form of the alkaloid than the free base form; (iv) the alkaloid in Utetheisa eggs occurs mainly in the N-oxide form; (v) the eggs in a given cluster are equally endowed with alkaloid; and (vi) the larva seems to act on this information: it abandons a cluster, no matter what the cluster size, if the first few eggs it samples are distasteful. Materials and MethodsThis study was done at our Cornell laboratories and at the Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid, Highlands County, FL.Experimental Animals. Utetheisa occur at the Archbold Station, often in abundance, in association with stands of Crotalaria mucronata, the major local foodplant. ...

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“…[46] The most well-researched of insects Figure 1. The ability of insects to thrive in diverse environments is linked to two evolutionarily optimized systems: a cuticle-derived exoskeleton with associated functional micro-and nanostructures, and glandular complexes that secrete chemically diverse substances.…”

Section: Physical Adhesive Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

2018

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Over the course of their wildly successful proliferation across the earth, the insects as a taxon have evolved enviable adaptations to their diverse habitats, which include adhesives, locomotor systems, hydrophobic surfaces, and sensors and actuators that transduce mechanical, acoustic, optical, thermal, and chemical signals. Insect‐inspired designs currently appear in a range of contexts, including antireflective coatings, optical displays, and computing algorithms. However, as over one million distinct and highly specialized species of insects have colonized nearly all habitable regions on the planet, they still provide a largely untapped pool of unique problem‐solving strategies. With the intent of providing materials scientists and engineers with a muse for the next generation of bioinspired materials, here, a selection of some of the most spectacular adaptations that insects have evolved is assembled and organized by function. The insects presented display dazzling optical properties as a result of natural photonic crystals, precise hierarchical patterns that span length scales from nanometers to millimeters, and formidable defense mechanisms that deploy an arsenal of chemical weaponry. Successful mimicry of these adaptations may facilitate technological solutions to as wide a range of problems as they solve in the insects that originated them.

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"Wolf-in-Sheep's-Clothing" Strategy of a Predaceous Insect Larva

Cited by 142 publications

References 3 publications

The Neuropterid Fauna of Dominican and Mexican Amber (Neuropterida: Megaloptera, Neuroptera)

The Neuropterid Fauna of Dominican and Mexican Amber (Neuropterida: Megaloptera, Neuroptera)

Chemical defense against predation in an insect egg

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

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