Authors: MOORE, AUBREY; TABASHNIK, BRUCE E.; STARK, JOHN D.

Source: Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 82, Number 5, October 1989 , pp. 1295-1298(4)

Publisher: Entomological Society of America

Abstract:

Adult diamondback moths, Plutella xylostella (L.), often autotomize one or both metathoracic legs after tarsal contact with insecticide residues. Moths that dropped legs after walking on fenvalerate residues had lower mortality and higher recovery from knockdown than those that did not autotomize. In experiments with ¹⁴C-Iabeled fenvalerate (250 ng/cm²), the concentration of fenvalerate and metabolites was significantly lower in moths that dropped legs (310 ± 26 ppb [x ± SEMI)than those that did not (392 ± 23 ppb). The concentration of fenvalerate and metabolites in autotomized legs was more than 10 times greater than the concentration in moth bodies. Two laboratory colonies of diamondback moth reared under identical conditions differed in their rate of leg drop, suggesting intraspecific genetic variation for autotomy. Result suggest that leg autotomy gallows diamondback moths to avoid the full effects of insecticide poisoning by eliminating part of the dosage.

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1989-10-01

More about this publication?

• Journal of Economic Entomology is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The journal publishes articles on the economic significance of insects and is divided into the following sections: apiculture & social insects; arthropods in relation to plant disease; forum; insecticide resistance and resistance management; ecotoxicology; biological and microbial control; ecology and behavior; sampling and biostatistics; household and structural insects; medical entomology; molecular entomology; veterinary entomology; forest entomology; horticultural entomology; field and forage crops, and small grains; stored-product; commodity treatment and quarantine entomology; and plant resistance. In addition to research papers, Journal of Economic Entomology publishes Letters to the Editor, interpretive articles in a Forum section, Short Communications, Rapid Communications, and Book Reviews.
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