Abstract
This paper investigates the relationship between oogenesis and flight duration and the use of tethered flight as an indicator of tendency to migrate inAnthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the boll weevil. When boll weevils were flown to exhaustion in tethered flight tests, many flew between 2 and 3 h, with several flying more than 4 h. To test the validity of the tethered flight test as an indicator of tendency to migrate, comparisons of mean flight duration were made between boll weevils trapped in pheromone traps far from any cultivated cotton and those trapped at the edge of heavily infested, flowering cotton fields. There was a significant difference in mean flight time between the two groups, supporting the assumption that long-duration tethered flight in the laboratory reflects the tendency to make long-distance flights in the field. Groups of weevils of different ages were killed after flight testing, and the degree of ovarian development and fat body status were determined and related to duration of tethered flight. Insects with undeveloped or partially developed ovaries were the most likely to make long flights. Weevils with ovaries bearing chorionated eggs made very few long flights. Flight duration was positively correlated with degree of fat body development. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the degree of ovarian development with fat body status. We conclude from these experiments thatA. grandis grandis is capable of long-distance flight, that this species displays some behavioral and physiological characteristics typical of many insect migrants including an oogenesis-flight syndrome, and that a tethered flight test is an appropriate means of measuring migratory tendency in this species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beckham, C. M., and Morgan, L. W. (1960). On the flight distance of the boll weevil.J. Econ. Entomol. 53 681–682.
Brazzel, J. R., and Hightower, B. G. (1960). A seasonal study of diapause, reproductive activity, and seasonal tolerance to insecticides in the boll weevil.J. Econ. Entomol. 53 41–46.
Brazzel, J. R., and Newsom, L. D. (1959). Diapause inAnthonomus grandis.J. Econ. Entomol. 52 603–611.
Brower, L. P. (1985). New perspectives on the migration biology of the monarch butterfly,Danaus plexippus L. In Rankin, M. A. (ed.),Migration: Mechanisms and Adaptive Significance, Contributions in Marine Science Supplement, Vol 27, pp. 748–785.
Burchsted, J. C. A. (1990).Flight Enhanced Reproduction in the Migratory Grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, Austin.
Burke, H. R., Clark, W. E., Cate, J. R., and Fryxell, P. (1986). Origin and dispersal of the boll weevil.Bull. Entomol. Soc. Am. 32 228–238.
Carter, F. L., and Phillips, J. R. (1973). Diapause in the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis Boheman, as related to fruiting activity in the cotton plant.Ark. Acad. Sci. Pro.27 16–20.
Davis, M. A. (1980). Variation in flight duration among individualTetraopes beetles, implications for studies of insect flight.J. Insect Physiol. 26 403–406.
Dingle, H. (1965). The relation between age and flight activity in the milkweed bug,Oncopeltus.J. Exp. Biol. 42 269–283.
Earle, N. W., and Newsom, L. D. (1964). Initiation of diapause in the boll weevil.J. Insect Physiol. 10 131–139.
Earle, N. W., Walker, A. B., and Burks, M. L. (1966). An artificial diet for the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), based on the analysis of amino acids in cotton squares.Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 59 664–669.
Fenton, F. A., and Dunnam, E. W. (1928). Dispersal of the cotton-boll weevilAnthonomus grandis Boh.J. Agr. Res. 36 135–149.
Glick, P. A. (1939).The Distribution of Insects, Spiders and Mites in the Air, USDA Tech. Bull. 1208.
Graham, H. M., Hernandez, N. S., Jr., Lianes, J. R., and Tamayo, J. (1979). Seasonal incidence of diapause in boll weevil populations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.Southwest. Entomol. 4 170–175.
Guerra, A. A. (1988). Seasonal boll weevil movement between northeastern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, USA.Southwest. Entomol. 4 261–271.
Hinds, W. E., and Yothers, W. W. (1909).Hibernation of the Mexican Cotton-Boll Weevil, USDA Entomol. Bull. 77.
Howard, L. O. (1894). A new cotton insect in Texas. USDA, Division of Entomology.Insect Life 7 273.
Hunter, W. D., and Coad, B. R. (1923).The Boll Weevil Problem, USDA Farmers Bull. 1329 (A1.9:1329).
Hunter, W. D., and Hinds, W. E. (1905).The Mexican Cotton Boll Weevil: A Revision and Amplification of Bulletin 45, to Include the Most important Observations Made in 1904, Bulletin No. 51, USDA Bureau of Entomology.
Isely, D. (1926). Early summer dispersion of the boll weevil.J. Econ. Entomol. 19 108–112.
Johnson, W. L., Cross, W. H., Leggett, J. E., McGovern, W. L., Mitchell, H. C., and Mitchell, E. B. (1975). Dispersal of marked boll weevil: 1970–1973 studies.Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 68 1018–1022.
Johnson, W. L., Cross, W. H., and McGovern, W. L. (1976). Long-range dispersal of marked boll weevils in Mississippi during 1974.Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 69 421–422.
Kennedy, J. S. (1961). A turning point in the study of insect migration.Nature 189 785–791.
Lewontin, R. E. (1965). Selection for colonizing ability. In Baker, H. G., and Stebbins, G. L. (eds.),The Genetics of Colonizing Species, Academic Press, New York, pp. 77–91.
Lloyd, E. P., Tingle, F. C., and Gast, R. T. (1967). Environmental stimuli inducing diapause in the boll weevil.J. Econ. Entomol 60 99–102.
Mayr, E. (1965). Summary. In Baker, H. G., and Stebbins, G. L. (eds.),The Genetics of Colonizing Species, Academic Press, New York, pp. 553–562.
McAnelly, M. L., and Rankin, M. A. (1986). Migration in the grasshopperMelanoplus sanguinipes (Fab.). II. Interactions between flight and reproduction.Biol. Bull. 170 378–392.
Moody, D. S., Bottrell, D. G., and Rummel, D. R. (1993). Late season migration of the boll weevil in the Texas rolling plains.Southwest. Entomol. 18 1–10.
Palmer, J. O. (1985). Ecological genetics of wing length, flight propensity, and early fecundity in a migratory insect. In Rankin, M. A. (ed.),Migration: Mechanisms and Adaptive Significance, Contributions in Marine Science Supplement, Vol. 27.
Palmer, J. O., and Cate, J. R. (1992). Overwintering survival of prereproductive and postreproductive boll weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Central Texas.Environ. Entomol. 21 117–120.
Price, J. R., Slosser, J. E., and Puterka, G. J. (1985). Factors affecting survival of boll weevils in winter habitat in the Texas rolling plains.Southwest. Entomol. 10 1–6.
Rankin, M. A., and Burchsted, J. C. A. (1992). The cost of migration in insects.Annu. Rev. Entomol. 37 533–559.
Rankin, M. A., and Rankin, S. (1980a). Some factors affecting presumed migratory flight activity of the convergent ladybeetle,Hippodamia convergens (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera).Biol. Bull. 158 356–369.
Rankin, S., and Rankin, M. A. (1980b). The hormonal control of migratory flight behaviour in the convergent ladybird beetle,Hippodamia convergens.Physiol. Entomol. 5 175–182.
Rankin, M. A., and Singer, M. C. (1984). Insect movement: Mechanisms and effects. In Huffaker, C. B., and Rabb, R. L. (eds.),Ecological Entomology, Wiley, New York, pp. 185–216.
Ridgway, R. L., Bariola, L. A., and Hardee, D. D. (1971). Seasonal movement of boll weevils near the High Plains of Texas.J. Econ. Entomol. 64 14–19.
Rose, D. J. W. (1972). Dispersal and quality in populations ofCicadulina species (Cicadellidae).J. Anim. Ecol. 41 589–609.
Rummel, D. R., and Adkisson, P. L. (1970). Distribution of boll weevil infested cotton fields in relation to overwintering habitats in the High and Rolling Plains of Texas.J. Econ. Entomol. 63 1906–1909.
Rummel, D. R., and Carroll, S. C. (1985). Longevity of overwintered boll weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) following emergence in spring and early summer.Environ. Entomol. 14 127–130.
Rummel, D. R., Jordan, L. B., White, J. R., and Hade, L. J. (1977). Seasonal variation in the height of boll weevil flight.Environ. Entomol. 6 674–678.
Simberloff, D. (1981). What makes a good island colonist? In Denno, R. F., and Dingle, H. (eds.),Insect Life History Patterns: Habitat and Geographic Variation, Springer Verlag, New York, pp. 195–205.
Sterling, W. (1972). Photoperiodic sensitivity in the ontogeny of the boll weevil.Environ. Entomol. 1 568–571.
Taubin, H., Staehelin, T., and Gordon, J. (1979). Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets: procedure and some applications.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76 4350–4354.
Tingle, F. C., Lane, G. C., King, E. E., and Lloyd, E. P. (1971). Influence of nutrients in the adult diet on diapause in the boll weevil.J. Econ. Entomol. 64 812–814.
Trewitt, P. M., Heilmann, L. J., Degrurilier, S. S., and Kumaran, A. K. (1992). The boll weevil vitellogenin gene: Nucleotide sequence structure, and evolutionary relationship to nematode and vertebrate vitellogenin genes.J. Mol. Evol. 34 478–492.
Vanderzant, E. S., and Davich, T. B. (1961). Artificial diets for the adult boll weevil and techniques for obtaining eggs.J. Econ. Entomol. 54 923–928.
Wade, L. J., and Rummel, D. R. (1978). Boll weevil immigration into winter habitat and subsequent spring and summer emergence.J. Econ. Entomol. 71 173–178.
Walker, J. R., Jr., and Shipp, O. E. (1963). Occurrence of developmental stages of the boll weevil in cotton bolls during the dormant season of 1962–1963 at College Station. Prog. Rep. No 2282. Tex. Agr. Exp. Stat.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rankin, M.A., Hampton, E.N. & Summy, K.R. Investigations of the oogenesis-flight syndrome inAnthonomus grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) using tethered flight tests. J Insect Behav 7, 795–810 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01997127
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01997127