Sanchez Braulio A, Da Cunha Oceane, Savage Jackson W, Horne L Miles, Saenz-Arreola Sol, Pollard Kajaya, Neria Oliver, Duffendack Spencer, Terrazas Simon, Diaz Javier M, Deitsch John, Seymoure Brett M
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79902, USA.
Chihuahuan Desert Biodiversity REU, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79902, USA.
Insects. 2025 Mar 27;16(4):347. doi: 10.3390/insects16040347.
Holometabolous insects display drastically different morphologies across life stages (i.e., larvae vs. adults). Morphological differences across life stages, such as different sizes and coloration, likely result in differential survival, as predators may find individuals of one life stage more conspicuous and/or more energetically profitable than another. Furthermore, prey conspicuousness may vary temporally because both the sensory environment and predator sensory abilities differ between day and night. Here, we investigated how the interaction between life stage (caterpillar vs. moth) and time of day (day vs. night) influences predation of the white-lined sphinx (Lepidoptera: ). We predicted that caterpillars would be less susceptible to predation than adult moths, as adults are larger and have a more conspicuous shape. After quantifying predation for 72 h during dawn and dusk using 199 plasticine replicas each of adults and caterpillars, predation on adult replicas was twice that of predation on caterpillar replicas. Furthermore, replicas were six times more likely to be predated on during the day than during the night. Lastly, attacks were made mainly by birds, which carried out 86% of the attacks on adult models and 85% of those on caterpillar models. These data support the hypothesis that predation rates differ across life stages in holometabolous insects. This research lays a foundation for further investigation into how specific differences in morphology across life stages affect predation and survival in holometabolous insects.
全变态昆虫在不同生命阶段呈现出截然不同的形态（即幼虫与成虫）。不同生命阶段的形态差异，如大小和颜色不同，可能导致生存差异，因为捕食者可能会发现某一生命阶段的个体比另一阶段的个体更显眼且/或在能量获取上更具价值。此外，猎物的显眼程度可能会随时间变化，因为白天和夜晚的感官环境以及捕食者的感官能力都有所不同。在此，我们研究了生命阶段（毛虫与蛾）和一天中的时间（白天与夜晚）之间的相互作用如何影响白线天蛾（鳞翅目： ）的被捕食情况。我们预测毛虫比成年蛾更不易被捕食，因为成虫体型更大且形状更显眼。在黎明和黄昏期间，使用199个成虫和毛虫的橡皮泥复制品对捕食情况进行了72小时的量化后，成虫复制品的被捕食率是毛虫复制品的两倍。此外，复制品在白天被捕食的可能性是夜晚的六倍。最后，攻击主要由鸟类发起，鸟类对成年模型的攻击占86%，对毛虫模型的攻击占85%。这些数据支持了全变态昆虫不同生命阶段捕食率存在差异的假设。这项研究为进一步探究不同生命阶段形态上的特定差异如何影响全变态昆虫的捕食和生存奠定了基础。
