Table Of ContentGeneral Notes
JournaloftheLepidopterists'Society
60(4),2006,227-228
CLUTCH SIZEVARIATION IN URANIABOISDW?ALII (GUERIN) (URANIIDAE: URANIINAE)
Additionalkevwords: Moth,gregariousopposition,Lepidoptera
The moth subfamilyUraniinaeis representedbvonly many layers and it was impossible to count their exact
one genus in the New World, Urania Fabricius. This number. Inboth localities we found the same results.
genus contains six species, all with diurnal habits and Theclutches biggerthan 100eggs couldbetheresult
iridescent colors. Two endemic species of this genus ofgregarious oviposition, a phenomenon described in
inhabit Cuba: Urania boisduualii (Guerin), distributed other lepidopterans (Mallet & Jackson 1980, Goodfray
throughout die island, and Urania poeyi (Gundlach), etal. 1991, Sourakov 1997, Reed2003, Fordyce & Nice
restrictedto eastern Cuba. 2004). Althoughwe didnotobserve differentfemalesof
In general, the clutches ofthe Lepidoptera present Urania boisduvalii contributing to a collective egg
diree patterns based on die number ofeggs laid bythe clutch, we have two reasons that support this idea.
female during opposition: i) eggs laid singly; ii) small Smith (1992) reported a large number of eggs in die
clutches ofup to 20 eggs; iii) large clutches widi more ovarioles ofmigratory Uraniafulgens (ca. 300-400) and
than20 eggs (Garcia-Barros 2000). only 15-30 eggs in the ovarioles ofsedentaryfemales of
Urania females oviposit at dusk, ca. 1700 h (Smith this species. We considerthat Urania boisduvalii have
1992). Guppy (1907) found that Urania leilus (L.) laid similar characteristics to Uraniafulgens in the number
eggs singlvor in pairs on die underside ofa leaf. Smith ofeggs perovariole becausewe countedthe numberof
(1992) observed that in Urania fulgens Walker the eggs eggs per ovariole in four females and found that U.
arelaidsinglvorinclutches ofupto90eggs and Urania boisduvalii females have between 15 and 35 eggs per
boisduvalii laid single eggs on die midrib on the ovariole (22.5± 5.4). Furthermore, during our study at
underside oflarge leaves ofOmphalea spp. Plava El Holandes on several occasions around 60
In August 2001, Dr Emanuel Mora brought one of females were observed visiting a host plant site and
the authors (A. Barro) three leaves of Omphalea fixing around the host plant and oripositing on
tiichotoma Mueller-Argoviensis that he found with Omphalea leaves. However, atpresentwe cannotprove
clutches ofthousands ofeggs of Urania boisduvalii in that females of Urania boisduvalii produce collective
PlayaEl Holandes, Peninsulade Guanahacabibes, Piiiar egg clutches. In anycase, our observations are die first
del Rio Province in western Cuba (21°50.07T N, report of great variation in clutch size for die family
S4°46.00' W). For this reason, we decided to study Uraniidae.
clutch size in Urania boisduvalii. We selected two sites Stamp (1980) summarizessomefrypotiieses aboutdie
for our field studies: the already mentioned Playa El
Holandes, and Piedra Alta, Santa Cruz del Norte, La
Habana Province (2310.04' N, 81°59.15' W). Thiswork-
was conducted during June and August 2003 and
February and May 2004 in Playa El Holandes, and
between October 2002 and December 2004 in Piedra
Altaatbiweeklyintervals.
During the study, we chose 50 plants of Omphalea
trichotoma in each localityand checked each leafon its
underside. We recorded the number of eggs on each llli
, I
leaf, the way in which they were laid (singly or in 3-10 11-30 31-99 100-200 400-500
clutches) and made notes about the hour ofoviposition Numberofeggs/leaf
andbehaviorofthe larvae.
We found 302 leaves with eggs (Figure 1). From this Figure 1. VariationindienumberofeggsofUrniaboisduvaliiper
total, 247leaves (82%) had onlyone egg, 13 leaves had leafofOmphaleatrichotoma
a pair of eggs on the underside (4%) and 32 leaves adaptive value ofgregarious oviposition in butterflies.
(14%) had clutches of 3 to 179 eggs. In addition, we Some ofthese hypotheses might explain die large egg
observed two leaves with 432 and 500 eggs and eight clutches laid bv Urania boisduvalii. Prevention oi egg
leaves with more than 2000 eggs each one. On the desiccation and protection against predators and
leaves with more than 2000 eggs, the eggs were laid in parasitoids seem to be two possible hvpotheses. In
228 Journalofthe Lepidopterists' Society
addition, we found at both study sites that the first and GUPPY, L. 1907. Life historyof Cydimon (Urania) leilus (L). Trans.
secondinstars ofUraniaboisduvalii displayagregarious MallEentt,omolL..SBo.c.&3:4D0.5-A4.10J.ackson. 1980. The ecology and social
behavior. Perhaps this behavior was facilitated by behavJi.oroftheNeotropical butterflyHeliconiusxanthoclesBates
gregarious oviposition, as suggested by Sillen-Tullberg in Colombia.Zool.J. Linn. Soc.70: 1-13.
(1988) for manyspecies ofbutterflies. Reed,R.D. 2003.Gregariousovipositionandclutchsizeadjustment
We cannot explain why Urania boisduvalM displays Reedb,yRa.HDe.li2c0o0n5i.usGrbeugttaerrifloyu.sBoivoitproospiitieoan3i5n:b5u5t5te-r5f5l9ie.s. Lepid.Soc.
J.
such alarge range in egg clutch size. Although we have 59:40-43.
not been able to demonstrate that this species presents Sillen-Tullberg, B. 1988. Evolution ofgregariousness in apose-
matic butterfly larvae: A phylogenetic analysis. Evolution 42:
gregarious oviposition, finding clutches with more than 29.3-305.
2000 eggs in an uraniid moth, supports the idea that in Smith, N. E. 1992. Reproductive behaviourandecologyofUrania
the Lepidoptera this phenomenon is common, as O(Lmepphiadlopetaersap:p.Ur(aEnuipihdoareb)iamcoetahe)s,apnpd.o5f76t-h5ei9r3.laIrnvalQufionotderploa,ntDs.,
suggestedbyReed (2005). &A.Aiello(eds.),InsectsofPanamaandMesoamerica. Selected
studies. OxfordUniversityPress,Oxford.
We thank Emanuel Mora for providing us the first leaf of SOURAKOV, A. 1997. "Social" oviposition behaviorand life historyof
Omphalea trichotoma with eggclutches ofUrania boisduvalii. Aglais cashmirensis from Nepal (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).
We also thank to Dr Frank Coro for his comments about the Holarct. Lepid.4:75-76.
manuscript. We also thank Dr David Arhenholz and one Stamp, N. E. 1980. Eggdeposition patterns in butterflies: Whydo
anonymous reviewerforcomments. somespeciesclustertheireggs ratherthandepositthemsingly?
Am.Nat.115:367-380.
Literature Cited
Fordyce, A. & C. C. Nice. 2004. Geographicvariationin clutch Alejandro Barro" and Krys Rodriguez
J.
sizeandarealizedbenefitofaggregativefeeding. Evolution58: Departamento de BiologiaAnimaly Humana, Facultad
447^50.
de Biologia, Universidad de La Habana Calle 25 # 455
Garcia-Barros, E. 2000. Bodysize,eggsize, andtheirinterspecific
relationshipswith ecological and life historytraits in butterflies el]e I, Vedado CP 10400, La Habana, Cuba
(Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea, Hesperioidea). Biol. Linn. Soc. ° Correspondingauthor; email: [email protected]
J.
70:251-284.
Goodfray, H. C, L. Partridge& P. H. Harvey. 1991. Clutchsize. Receivedforpublication 24February2005, revisedandaccepted11
Annu. Rev. Ecol.Syst.22:409-429. October2006.
JournaloftheLepidopterists'Society
60(4),2006,22S-230
EGGVIABILITYAND LARVALCONTRIBUTION TO FECUNDITYOFPARNASSIUS SMINTHEUS
DOUBLEDAY (PAPILIONIDAE)
Additional keywords:lifehistory,reproduction.RockyMountainApollo
Fecundity and egg viability are important partofalargerexperimentexaminingspatialpopulation
components of life history affecting population dynamics. Upon capture, we placed individual
dynamics and persistence as well as being a central butterflies in a glassine envelope and took them to The
factorin evolution. Despiteitsbasicnature, estimatesof University of Calgary's Barrier Lake Field Station
fecundity for Lepidoptera are not common (Hunter (-1400 m) where they were kept in the envelopes at
1995). Herewebrieflypresentestimates ofeggviability ambient conditions. After the female's death, we
and fecundity primarily due to larval resources for the counted the number of eggs laid by each butterfly.
Rocky Mountain Apollo butterflyParnassius smintheus Because butterflies were removed from meadows
Doubleday, 1847. frequently, each was captured fairly shortly (1-10 d)
We collected 146 female butterflies from two large after its emergence. Parnassius smintheus continues to
meadows (sub populations P & Q, see Matter et al. develop eggs in the adult stage (C. Guppy, personal
2000) along Jumping Pound Ridge, Kannanskis, communication). Thus, the number ofeggs produced
Alberta, Canada (51°57'N, 114°54W, -2100 m). All P. here should largely represent fecunditybased on larval
smintheus encounteredwere removed on six occasions resources, rather than total fecundity including
(July20, 23, 30, 31 and August 11, 19) duringthe adult additional eggs produced from nectar resources during
flight season of 2005 (-18 July-24 August). We the adult stage. Additionally, the mating status of
collected ten additional females from nearby females was assessed by the presence or absence ofa
Powderface Ridge (Matterand Roland2002) onAugust sphragis which males affixto females duringcopulation
6th 2005. The removals on Jumping Pound Ridge are to prevent additional matingbyother males (Birdetal.
