It is considered that the mate-locating behaviors of ectothermic insects are constrained by the ambient thermal conditions, since the flight ability depends on the body temperature. However, since ecological factors also influence the mating behaviors, the flight ability would not necessarily determine the time schedule of male mate-locating flight. To reveal how the ambient thermal conditions ...

Pieris rapae granulovirus (PrGV) can infect and kill larvae of Pieris rapae, a worldwide and important pest of mustard family crops. The PrGV genome consists of 108,592 bp, is AT rich (66.8%), and is most structurally and organizationally similar to the Choristoneura occidentalis granulovirus genome. Of the predicted 120 open reading frames (ORFs), 32 genes specifically occurred in GVs, includi...

The beads in the wing scales of pierid butterflies play a crucially important role in wing coloration as shown by spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The beads contain pterin pigments, which in Pieris rapae absorb predominantly in the ultraviolet (UV). SEM demonstrates that in the European subspecies Pieris rapae rapae, both males and females have dorsal wing scales with a...

Heterosubspecific mating experiments were carried out between two subspecies of cabbage butterflies, British Pieris rapae rapae and Japanese P. rapae crucivora, to examine how accurately males recognize the mates. The two subspecies are different in that the wings of female P. rapae rapae reflect little UV light, whereas those of female P. rapae crucivora are strongly UV-reflective. The wing co...

Individually marked males of Pieris rapae crucivora, were observed to determine how they allocate time to reproduction and feeding. Males were found to alternately feed and search for females. This manner of time allocation persisted throughout the day. The total times that males allocated to the two behaviors were positively correlated, i.e. those males that spent longer searching for females,...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect remains of Pieris rapae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) immature stages in the guts of field collected arthropod predators. The assay can be used to help ascertain the relative importance of arthropod predator species in suppressing P. rapae in cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. The ELISA is sensitive to all immature stage...

The host specificity of Cotesia rubecula (Marshall) was examined through literature searches, behavioural and ecological observations, and host specificity tests of a South Australian population. The results led to the importation and testing of C. rubecula in quarantine in New Zealand where its specificity to the genus Pieris was confirmed. Introduction of the parasitoid was approved and the s...

STEINERNEMATID NEMATODES WERE EVALUATED AGAINST THE THREE MAJOR CRUCIFEROUS INSECT PESTS: the imported cabbageworm Artogeia rapae, the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, and the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni. LC(50) values of S. carpocapsae All, S. feltiae UK, S. feltiae 27, and S. riobrave 335 were 18.2, 3.6, 5.7, and 8.3 on A. rapae L(2); 24.5, 2.3, 6.0, and 15.5 on P. xylostella L(3); an...

Ultraviolet (UV) vision is widespread in a variety of animals, playing important roles in behaviours such as foraging and reproduction. Despite accumulated information about UV vision and UV-dependent behaviours of animals, little is known about the effect of temporal changes and local variations in UV light on UV-dependent behaviour. Here we report the mating behaviour of male cabbage butterfl...