Abstract
Background
Notonecta montandoni is currently considered ‘near threatened’ according to the Red List of Japan.
Aims/methods
This study aimed to elucidate the life history of N. montandoni using rearing and field surveys and to describe the life history and developmental period of each immature stage.
Results
The complete developmental period at 19 °C was observed for 97–105 days (n = 5) as follows: egg, 18–22 days (n = 30); first instar nymph, 9–12 days (n = 30); second instar nymph, 9–11 days (n = 30); third instar nymph, 11–15 days (n = 24); fourth instar nymph, 15–20 days (n = 20); and fifth instar nymph, 31–33 days (n = 5). In the field, adults were collected from both ponds and streams, but nymphs were found only in ponds. Notonecta montandoni is present in waters that do not exceed 24 °C throughout the year and moves through multiple habitats.
Discussion
The results suggest that N. montandoni mates and lays eggs in winter and completes its nymphal period from January to May; it is assumed that N. montandoni is univoltine, new adults that emerge may have a life span of only one season, and N. montandoni uses two habitats (ponds and streams) to complete its life cycle.
Implications for insect conservation
Our results describe the life history and immature stages of N. montandoni and provide important information for in situ and ex situ conservation. These findings provide important implications (e.g., the need for multiple habitats to complete life histories and the importance of mitigating the impacts of temperature increases due to climate change) for developing conservation strategies and activities for N. montandoni.
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Acknowledgements
We express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Tomoki Sumikawa (Ishikawa Insect Museum) for his cooperation with the rearing experiments and for confirming the age of the nymphs. Finally, we would like to thank Editage (www.editage.jp) for English language editing.
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The authors did not receive support from any organization for the work submitted.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. KW was involved in rearing, data collection for laboratory experiments, and data analysis. MK was involved in material preparation and data collection during the field survey. The first draft of the manuscript was written by KW and all authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Watanabe, K., Kato, M. Life history of Notonecta montandoni (Hemiptera: Notonectidae: Notonectinae) and conservation implications. J Insect Conserv 27, 261–270 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-022-00450-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-022-00450-y