Life History Strategy of Tokiwadiplosis matecola (Diptera : Cecidomyiidae) Relying upon the Lammas Shoots of Lithocarpus edulis (Fagaceae)

概要

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Lammas shoots are relatively unpredictable food resources for insect herbivores, since the shoots are produced late in the season as a compensatory reaction to defoliation by herbivores and to other factors. A monophagous gall midge, Tokiwadiplosis matecola was confirmed, both in Kagoshima and in Okinawa, to make galls in June-July on lammas shoots alone, instead of on normal spring shoots of Lithocarpus edulis, an evergreen tree of the family Fagaceae. Tokiwadiplosis matecola required relatively high temperatures for larval development after overwintering. Such a requirement explained why the emergence of T. matecola does not synchronize with the appearance of spring shoots in April-May. At least 50% of L. edulis trees in the forest produced some lammas shoots, chiefly from the coppices and stems on lower parts, providing T. matecola with galling sites constantly. At least 60% of the lammas shoots were galled every year from 1993 to 1995. The high percentage of galled lammas shoots indicated possible regulation of the gall midge density by the amount of lammas shoots produced. Tokiwadiplosis matecola is normally univoltine, but some individuals exhibited an additional generation relying upon the continuous production of lammas shoots in August-September.
日本昆虫学会の論文
2000-03-25