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Studies on the interference among larvae of the citrus leaf miner, Phyllocnistis citrella stainton (lepidoptera: Phyllocnistidae)
Author(s) -
Murai Minoru
Publication year - 1974
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/bf02514082
Subject(s) - hatchling , biology , larva , lepidoptera genitalia , leaf miner , gracillariidae , pest analysis , horticulture , interference (communication) , zoology , botany , ecology , hatching , channel (broadcasting) , electrical engineering , engineering
Summary Observation of the citrus leaf miner, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton suggested that contacts among larvae frequently occur and either of two larvae encountered is sometimes killed by the interference. A model to describe the competitive interactions in the process of interference was constracted with this species. The distribution of hatchling on an area was considered in the model. The model was based on that of encounters in randomly moving particles in two dimensions. First the time when first death occurs was calculated and n hatchlings were reduced to n −1. Further calculation was made to obtain the time that next death occurs. Such calculation was repeated until the number of larvae was reduced to 1 or the area of mine attained to the completed size. By the simulation based on the data observed on the citrus leaf miner, the numbers of survivors were calculated at different hatchling densities and on different leaves in size. Based on this simulation analysis it was suggested that the following characteristics observed in the present studies enable the maximul number of individuals to become adults. When two hatchlings occur on a leaf, they tend to be separated by the midrib. This implies that female moths tend to reject to lay eggs on the area which has already contained the egg. The larva sometimes avoids the contact immediately before it occurs. The larval mortality caused by a contact is reduced with the larval growth. Since the frequency of contacts increases as the mine is enlarged, the change to high survival prevents the larva from high mortality caused by the increase of contacts. The larval survival does not decrease in spite of the reduction of the area available for mining.