Lounibos L P, Makhni S, Alto B W, Kesavaraju B
Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, Vero Beach, FL 32962, USA.
J Insect Behav. 2008 Mar;21(2):47-54. doi: 10.1007/s10905-007-9103-2.
Surplus or 'wasteful' killing of uneaten prey has been documented in the fourth larval instar of various species of the mosquito genus Toxorhynchites that occur in treeholes and other phytotelmata. Here we document surplus killing by the predatory midge Corethrella appendiculata, which in Florida cohabits treeholes and artificial containers with larvae of Toxorhynchites rutilus. Provided with a surfeit of larval mosquito prey, surplus killing was observed only in the fourth instar of C. appendiculata, peaking in intensity in the final 24 h prior to pupation, as observed for Toxorhynchites spp. Attack sites identified from videotaped encounters with mosquito prey were divided among head, thorax, abdomen, and siphon. Consumed mosquito larvae (n = 70) were attacked primarily on the head (46%) or siphon (34%), but surplus-killed prey (n = 30) were attacked predominantly on the thorax (83%). Despite its independent evolution among different insect species in aquatic container habitats, the functional significance of prepupal surplus killing remains unclear.
在树洞和其他植物积水处出现的多种巨蚊属蚊子的四龄幼虫中，已记录到存在对未食用猎物的多余或“浪费性”杀戮行为。在此，我们记录了掠食性蠓科昆虫附肢锥腹摇蚊的多余杀戮行为，在佛罗里达州，它与红巨蚊幼虫共同栖息于树洞和人工容器中。当提供过量的蚊幼虫猎物时，仅在附肢锥腹摇蚊的四龄幼虫中观察到多余杀戮行为，其强度在化蛹前的最后24小时达到峰值，这与巨蚊属物种的情况相同。从与蚊幼虫猎物的录像遭遇中确定的攻击部位分布在头部、胸部、腹部和呼吸管。被消耗的蚊幼虫（n = 70）主要在头部（46%）或呼吸管（34%）受到攻击，但被多余杀戮的猎物（n = 30）主要在胸部（83%）受到攻击。尽管在水生容器栖息地的不同昆虫物种中，化蛹前多余杀戮行为是独立进化的，但其功能意义仍不清楚。
