Oviposition site selection in the crepuscular moth, Grapholita molesta: does light matter?

• Published in: Entomologia experimentalis et applicata Vol. 170; no. 5; pp. 442 - 448
• Main Authors: Yang, Xiaofan, Lu, Ziyun, Ran, Hongfan, Ma, Aihong, Liu, Wenxu, Li, Jiancheng, Wei, Guoshu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-05-2022
• Subjects: Butterflies & moths; crepuscular moth; dim light; Fruit trees; Grapholita molesta; Insects; Lepidoptera; Light; Light intensity; Luminous intensity; Odors; Oviposition; oviposition site selection; peach tree; pest insect; Reproductive strategy; Site selection; stone and pome fruit; sunny and shaded; Tortricidae; variable conditions
• ISSN: 0013-8703; 1570-7458
• DOI: 10.1111/eea.13156

Some insects that particularly prefer sunny or shaded sites use light intensity to locate suitable oviposition sites during the day. However, it is not known whether crepuscular species can be guided by light for oviposition under dim or variable light conditions. We used the crepuscular moth Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a major pest of stone and pome fruits worldwide, to investigate oviposition response to light at various intensities (1000, 100, 10, and 1 mW m−2). Light intensity in sunny sites in a peach tree canopy is about 10× higher than in shaded sites. In both light vs. dark and brighter light vs. darker light choices, G. molesta females can discriminate differences in light intensity, exhibiting a strong preference for brighter light, independent of light intensity. Moreover, the light‐dependent oviposition responses did not change when exposed to odor stimuli. Our findings show that this crepuscular moth G. molesta can use light intensity to direct oviposition toward relatively sunny sites under dim light conditions. This study highlights the importance of vision for crepuscular species in oviposition site selection.
The crepuscular moth Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a major pest of stone and pome fruits worldwide, lays eggs on sunny sites within peach tree canopies. In two‐choice tests females exhibit a strong preference for brighter light for oviposition even under changing light conditions. Light oviposition preferences could not be altered by the presence of host odor. This study highlights the importance of vision for crepuscular species in oviposition site selection.