Reproductive and Flight Characteristics of <i>Lymantria xylina</i> (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in Fuzhou, China
Jifeng Zhang,
Baode Wang,
Liqiang Wang,
Cheng Zuo,
Junnan Li,
Yonghong Cui,
Xuanye Wen,
David Cowan,
Songqing Wu,
Mengxia Liu,
Rong Wang,
Feiping Zhang
Affiliations
Jifeng Zhang
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Baode Wang
US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Science and Technology, Forest Pest Methods Laboratory, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542, USA
Liqiang Wang
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Cheng Zuo
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Junnan Li
Fujian Academy of Forestry Sciences, Fuzhou 350012, China
Yonghong Cui
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Xuanye Wen
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
David Cowan
US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Science and Technology, Forest Pest Methods Laboratory, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542, USA
Songqing Wu
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Mengxia Liu
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Rong Wang
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Feiping Zhang
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
The biological characteristics of Lymantria xylina Swinhoe (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), a moth that threatens coastal forests in Fuzhou, China, are closely linked to its spread risk. To characterize these traits, we primarily investigated emergence, reproductive, and flight behaviors. Our findings show that females typically emerge, mate, and copulate during specific times of day. The peak hours of emergence, courtship, and copulation are 13:00–14:00, 19:00–21:00, and around 0:00, respectively. The starting time of oviposition was concentrated before dawn and during the daytime. They preferentially lay eggs on columnar objects, including artificial ones. On average, females laid 361 eggs, lived for 4.5 days, and weighed 0.74 g. Non-ovipositing females were observed to fly for short distances, especially during the evening. Field observations suggest that these females can potentially travel up to 184.5 m in total and 34.5 m continuously. While this indicates a theoretical risk of long-distance dispersal, our findings suggest that the overall risk is limited. These results contribute to our understanding of the biology and dispersal potential of L. xylina.
