Abstract
We determined the incidence of curculionid beetles of the genus Lonchophorus on aborted and not aborted flower buds and developing fruits of the tree Ceiba pentandra in southeastern Costa Rica. Beetle larvae were found in reproductive parts of all trees sampled trees. The frequency of beetle larvae was greater in aborted buds and immature fruits. A positive correlation between larvae development and flower bud development indicates that female oviposition occurred in an early flower developmental stage and time until bud abortion is variable. Weevil herbivory could be considered as one of the main factors that cause flower bud and fruit abortion in C. pentandra.
Resumen
Determinamos la incidencia de curculiónidos del género Lonchophorus en botones florales y frutos inmaduros tanto abortados como no abortados en el árbol Ceiba pentandra en el SE de Costa Rica. Las larvas de curculiónidos fueron encontradas en todos los árboles muestreados. La frecuencia de larvas fue mayor en botones y frutos abortados. Una correlación positiva entre el desarrollo larval y el desarrollo del botón indica que la oviposición ocurre en una fase temprana de este y que el tiempo hasta el aborto es variable. La herbivoría por larvas de curculiónidos puede ser uno de los factores más importantes en el aborto de botones y frutos inmaduros en C. pentandra.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank W. Eberhard and P. Hanson for their helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript and G. Saborío and A. G. Guzmán for assistance in the field. We also thank R. Anderson for the taxonomic identification of adult weevils. Results presented here are based on the fieldwork developed by the course “Biología de Campo” of the Universidad de Costa Rica.
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Fernández, M., Lobo, J., Chacón, E. et al. Curculionid beetles in aborted flower buds and immature fruits of Ceiba pentandra (Bombacaceae). Plant Ecol 194, 1–4 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-007-9272-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-007-9272-2