Yang Xiaofan, Ma Aihong, Wan Yanran, Jiang Yueli, Ran Hongfan, Niu Yiping, Li Jiancheng
Institute of Plant Protection, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences Key Laboratory of IPM on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China Baoding Hebei China.
College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University Baoding Hebei China.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Aug 29;15(9):e72096. doi: 10.1002/ece3.72096. eCollection 2025 Sep.
The light spectrum is a critical visual feature influencing insect behavior. The crepuscular moth (Busck), a significant pest of stone and pome fruits worldwide, has been shown to discriminate variations in brightness/intensity under dim-light conditions. However, the behavioral responses of females to various light spectra remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the oviposition preference of females by assessing eggs laid in light and dark conditions, as well as under two different types of light in two-choice experiments. Light in the upper canopy of is richer in UV light than lower parts characterized by a green light spectrum. When given the choice between light and dark, females preferred to lay eggs in the illuminated areas over the dark ones. Further experiments revealed that when presented with colored light versus white light of the same intensity, or between two lights of different spectra, females could discriminate between these light types. They exhibited a strong preference for ultraviolet (UV) light, followed by blue and green light. Notably, this preference for UV light was dependent on intensity, with higher intensity light attracting more female. In cases where spectrum and intensity cues conflicted (e.g., UV light was paired with lights that had 10-fold or 100-fold lower intensity), females still showed a preference for UV light for oviposition. These results indicate that the crepuscular can differentiate between various light spectra, and the preference for UV light likely aids females in selecting suitable oviposition sites during dusk.
光谱是影响昆虫行为的关键视觉特征。暮眼蝶（Busck）是全球范围内核果和梨果的重要害虫，已被证明能够在弱光条件下区分亮度/强度的变化。然而，雌性暮眼蝶对各种光谱的行为反应仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们通过评估在光照和黑暗条件下以及在两种选择实验中的两种不同类型光照下所产的卵，来研究雌性暮眼蝶的产卵偏好。树冠上层的光比以绿色光谱为特征的下层光富含更多紫外线。当在光照和黑暗之间进行选择时，雌性暮眼蝶更喜欢在光照区域而非黑暗区域产卵。进一步的实验表明，当呈现相同强度的彩色光与白光，或两种不同光谱的光时，雌性暮眼蝶能够区分这些光类型。它们对紫外线（UV）光表现出强烈偏好，其次是蓝光和绿光。值得注意的是，这种对紫外线光的偏好取决于强度，强度越高吸引的雌性越多。在光谱和强度线索相互冲突的情况下（例如，紫外线光与强度低10倍或100倍的光配对），雌性暮眼蝶在产卵时仍表现出对紫外线光的偏好。这些结果表明，暮眼蝶能够区分各种光谱，对紫外线光的偏好可能有助于雌性在黄昏时选择合适的产卵地点。
