Abstract
The study reported examined mechanisms of pollen transfer within the genus Lagenaria, including insect vectors in the natural and cropped field environment. The major flower visitors to Lagenaria were observed for 10 months, from June 2001 to April 2002 at five sites, namely the Botanic Garden of the National Museums of Kenya, three farmers’ crop fields in Dungicha village in Kilifi District, Katitika and Wayowani villages in Kitui District and the home garden of one of the authors, in Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. Twenty-two species of insects represented in four orders belonging to 10 families were found to be the major visitors of L. siceraria flowers. From the foraging patterns of the flower visitors, visiting frequencies and development of fruits, four groups of flower visitors comprising hawkmoths (Hippotion celerio, Agrius convolvuli), moths A-D (Noctuidae spp.), skipper butterfly (Gorgyra johnstoni) and honeybee (Apis mellifera) were considered active flower visitors. Hawkmoths were suspected to be the major pollinators of this plant in the locations surveyed.
Résumé
Cette étude examine les mécanismes de transfert du pollen dans le genre Lagenaria, faisant intervenir les insectes vecteurs dans les habitats naturels et cultivés. Les plus importants visiteurs de fleurs de Lagenaria ont été observés pendant 10 mois, de juin 2001 à avril 2002 dans le jardin botanique du Muséum National de Nairobi, dans une parcelle paysanne du village de Dungicha dans le district de Kilifi, dans les villages de Katitika et Wayowani dans le district de Kitui et dans le jardin de l’un des auteurs, à Westland à Nairobi. Vingt deux espèces d’insectes appartenant à quatre ordres et 10 familles ont été trouvées. A partir du comportement de recherche, de la fréquence des visites et du développement des fruits, quatre groupes de visiteurs de fleurs comprenant les sphingides (Hippotion celerio, Agrius convolvuli), les papillons de nuits A-D (Noctuidae spp.), l’hespéride (Gorgyra johnstoni) et l’abeille (Apis mellifera) sont considérés comme des visiteurs de fleurs actifs. Les sphingides semblent être les pollinisateurs les plus importants de cette plante dans les localités étudiées.
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Morimoto, Y., Gikungu, M. & Maundu, P. Pollinators of the bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) observed in Kenya. Int J Trop Insect Sci 24, 79–86 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1079/IJT20046
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/IJT20046