Effect of different tethered flight durations on thereproduction and adult longevity of Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae)
Author of the article:Lü Wei-Xiang JIANG Xing-Fu ZHANG Lei** LUO Li-Zhi
Author's Workplace：State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy ofAgricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Key Words：Mythimna separata, 1-day old adults, flight duration, reproduction
Abstract：To describe flight potential of adult Mythimna separata (Walker) one day after emergence and the effect of tethered flight on reproduction and adult longevity, thereby clarifying the migration character. [Methods] A flight mill system was used to examine the effects of different tethered flight durations on adult M. separata one day after emergence. The influences of different flight durations on reproduction were determined by analyzing variation in the reproductive parameters of groups of adults subject to 6, 9 or 12 h tethered flight. [Results] Our results indicate that newly emerged M. separata adults have a moderate flight potential, and there was no significant increase in flight duration, flight distance or flight velocity when adults were subject to tethered flight for more than 9 h. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between females and males, except in flight velocity when individuals were tethered for 12 h. Flight on day 1 after emergence significantly accelerated reproduction in M. separate but this effect decreased significantly following prolongation of tethered flight duration. The preoviposition period of adults tethered for 6, 9 and 12 h was significantly shortened compared to the control. The lifetime fecundity and oviposition period, however, were only significantly greater than the control in adults tethered for 6 and 9 h. Adults tethered for 12 h displayed obviously lower lifetime fecundity and a shorter oviposition period than those tethered for 6 and 9 h, however, no significant differences were found between those tethered for 12 h and the control. The longevity of both females and males in the 12 h treatment group were both significantly shorter than those in the control. [Conclusion] Therefore, we conclude that relatively short flight on the first day after emergence significantly enhances reproduction but that these effects decrease significantly if the flight duration is prolonged