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On the Adult Behavioral Repertoire of the Sawfly Perreyia flavipes Konow, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Pergidae): Movement, Mating, and Thanatosis

Neotropical Entomology volume 47, pages 46–52 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Perreyia flavipes Konow, 1899 (Pergidae: Perreyinae) is a sawfly species with gregarious larvae commonly found in open areas in southern Brazil through Uruguay and northern Argentina. The combination of highly gregarious larvae with the production of a variety of toxins in P. flavipes has led to severe cases of intoxication in a variety of livestock species. Over the years, considerable information was discovered on the larval natural history of P. flavipes; however, virtually nothing is known about the adult behavior, particularly because of its short life-span. In this study, we report on the first extensive study on the adult behavior of P. flavipes, including movement, mating (with oviposition and maternal care), and thanatosis. Our results show some unusual behavioral adaptations presented by P. flavipes, such as irregular activity behavior (i.e., deficient gait pattern), thanatosis behavior-like display, and primitive maternal care. Individual behavioral acts are described and compared among sexes, and their potential functions are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) through a graduate fellowship to FMN (141355/2012-3) and a research fellowship to MRP (571334/2008-3). M. A. Nickele provided valuable comments on this manuscript.

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  1. Lab de Dinâmica Evolutiva e Sistemas Complexos, Depto de Zoologia, Univ Federal do Paraná, Pós-graduação em Entomologia, Caixa Postal 19020, 81531-980, Curitiba, PR, Brasil

    F M Neves & M R Pie

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  1. F M Neves
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  2. M R Pie
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Correspondence to F M Neves.

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Edited by Rodrigo G Gonçalves – UnB

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Neves, F.M., Pie, M.R. On the Adult Behavioral Repertoire of the Sawfly Perreyia flavipes Konow, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Pergidae): Movement, Mating, and Thanatosis. Neotrop Entomol 47, 46–52 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-017-0509-z

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Keywords

  • Behavioral repertoire
  • natural history
  • sawflies
  • thanatosis