Oviposition stimulants underlying different preferences between host races in the leaf-mining moth Acrocercops transecta (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 14498 - 12
• Main Authors: Katte, Tomoko, Shimoda, Shota, Kobayashi, Takuya, Wada-Katsumata, Ayako, Nishida, Ritsuo, Ohshima, Issei, Ono, Hajime
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 25-08-2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/181/2481; 631/92/604; Animals; Butterflies & moths; Column chromatography; Eggs; Ericaceae; Female; Females; Glycosides; Gracillariidae; Host plants; Humanities and Social Sciences; Juglandaceae; Juglans; Leaves; Lyonia; Moths; multidisciplinary; Oviposition; Plant extracts; Plant Leaves; Plants; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Silica; Silica gel; Stimulants; Triterpenoid glycosides
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18238-0

The importance of plant chemistry in the host specialization of phytophagous insects has been emphasized. However, only a few chemicals associated with host shifting have been characterized. Herein, we focus on the leaf-mining moth
Acrocercops transecta
(Gracillariidae) consisting of ancestral
Juglans
(Juglandaceae)- and derived
Lyonia
(Ericaceae)-associated host races. The females of the
Lyonia
race laid eggs on a cover glass treated with an
L
.
ovalifolia
leaf extract; the extract was fractionated using silica gel and ODS column chromatography to isolate the oviposition stimulants. From a separated fraction, two analogous
Lyonia
-specific triterpenoid glycosides were characterized as oviposition stimulants. Furthermore, we observed probable contact chemosensilla on the distal portion of the female antennae.
Lyonia
race females laid their eggs on the non-host
Juglans
after the leaves were treated with a
Lyonia
-specific oviposition stimulant, although they do not lay eggs on
Juglans
. These results suggest that
Lyonia
race females do not lay eggs on
Juglans
leaves because the leaves do not contain specific oviposition stimulant(s). Otherwise, the activity of the oviposition stimulants overcomes oviposition deterrents contained in
Juglans
leaves. This paper describes the roles of plant chemicals in the different preferences between host races associated with distantly related plant taxa.