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Geographical variation of elytral spot patterns in the phytophagous ladybird, Epilachna vigintioctopunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in the Province of Sumatera Barat, Indonesia
Author(s) -
Abbas Idrus,
Nakamura Koji,
Katakura Haruo,
Sasaji Hiroyuki
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
population ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1438-390X
pISSN - 1438-3896
DOI - 10.1007/bf02512601
Subject(s) - coccinellidae , biology , intraspecific competition , spots , host (biology) , zoology , ecology , predation , botany , predator
Summary Geographical variation in the elytral spot patterns of a phytophagous ladybird, Epilachna vigintioctopunctata , was studied in the Province of Sumatera Barat, Indonesia. Populations of E. vigintioctopunctata were divided into four major groups (I–IV) by the incidence of spot pattern variations. Group I, occurring in the coastal plains and inland lowlands, and Group IV, confined to the highlands, were the extremes of the spot pattern variations, the latter had many more non‐persistent spots and confluences with larger body size and advanced melanism than the former. These two groups were connected with each other via the intermediate groups. A positive relationship was detected between the elevations of sample sites and the average number of non‐persistent spots per elytron. Consequently, present results favor the view that the two previously recognized forms of E. vigintioctopunctata (formae A and B in Katakura et al., 1988) represent a complicated intraspecific variation rather than two distinct sibling species. Elytral spot pattern variations were not different between the sexes or between the beetles collected from different kinds of host plants.