We used a proboscis extension reflex (PER) to study the olfactory discrimination capability in the moth Spodoptera littoralis. Already after a single experience, moths were capable to discriminate a rewarded from an unrewarded odor. In the first experiment, when rewarded and unrewarded odors were substituted for each other, moths were able to undergo reversal conditioning already after two expe...

Moth search (MS) is a nature-inspired metaheuristic optimization algorithm based on the most representative characteristics of moths, Lévy flights and phototaxis. Phototaxis signifies movement which organism towards or away from source light, features for moths. The best moth individual seen as light in search. moths that have smaller distance one will fly around by flights. For reasons photota...

Nocturnal moths often use sex pheromones to find mates and ultrasonic hearing to evade echolocating bat predators. Male moths, when confronted with both pheromones and sound, thus have to trade off reproduction and predator avoidance depending on the relative strengths of the perceived conflicting stimuli. The ultrasonic hearing of Plodia interpunctella was investigated. A threshold curve for e...

Plants show rapid adaptation towards resistance against heavy metals. In contrast, tests examining the local adaptation of insect herbivores to heavy metal pollution are lacking. Here we test whether the autumnal moth Epirrita autumnata, living in a heavy metal contaminated area, shows local adaptation in the growth rate and immune function. We gathered male moths from control and polluted area...

In the first instar, the larvae enter into the leaf parenchyma and feed between the upper and lower surfaces of leaves creating mines. In the second instar, the larvae leave the mines, and from the second to the third instar, they feed on the leaves, destroying the leaf tissue except for the upper epidermis, leaving transparent “windows” in the leaves. Fourth-instar larvae feed on both sides of...

Abstract Tea black tussock moth, Dasychira baibarana (Matsumura) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), is a devastating pest species of the tea plant in China. Here, we evaluated responses D. to volatiles using gas chromatography coupled electroantennographic detection (GC–EAD), eleclectroantennography (EAG), and Y-tube olfactometer. In total, 11 18 analyzed compounds elicited GC–EAD from test insects. ...

Female receptivity in butterflies and moths is influenced by a multitude of factors that vary between virgin and mated females, and is often affected by the quality and persistence of courting males. Mated females of polyandrous species frequently display a period of non-receptivity following mating, often resulting from factors transferred by the male at mating. Some of these compounds have a ...

Both sexes of the noctuid moths Lacanobia subjuncta (Grote & Robinson), Mamestra configurata Walker (bertha armyworm) and Xestia c-nigrum (L.) (spotted cutworm) are attracted to the combination of acetic acid and 3-methyl-1-butanol (isoamyl alcohol). A controlled-release system for use of this attractant in traps was comprised of separate polypropylene vials for each chemical, with the chemical...

Here, we show that the consequences of deficient micronutrient (beta-carotene) intake during larval stages of Manduca sexta are carried across metamorphosis, affecting adult behaviour. Our manipulation of larval diet allowed us to examine how developmental plasticity impacts the interplay between visual and olfactory inputs on adult foraging behaviour. Larvae of M. sexta were reared on natural ...

The autosomal recessive mutation short antennae (sa) causes considerable shortening of antennae in male and female Mediterranean flour moths (Ephestia kuehniella Zeller). However, the sa phenotype can be suppressed by several physical factors, making sa moths indistinguishable from wild-type moths (sa(WT)). This can be done by subjecting larva and pupa to a higher temperature (25 degrees C), to...