The masked birch caterpillar, Drepana arcuata (Lepidoptera: Drepanidae) is an excellent model for studying vibratory communication and sociality in larval insects. Vibratory communication occurs throughout development, but the functions of signals are reported to change as larvae change from...

Parasitic infection is known to drive sexual selection in persuasive mating systems, where parasites influence the secondary sexual characteristics that underlie mate choice. However, comparatively little is known about their effects on animals that use coercive mating behavior. We use a tractable...

At low doses of radiation, F₁ sterility of the sugarcane stalk borer, Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), can be attained. This bodes well for progression of the sterile insect technique (SIT) as part of an area-wide integrated pest management strategy against this pest of economic...

Mating ability, survival, and fitness of mass-produced sterile insects when released into the wild, are critical to the success of the sterile insect technique (SIT) as a pest management strategy, but their field performance remains one of the greatest challenges. Thermal stress tolerance by...

The house crow (Corvus splendens) is globally recognised as a pest. It is an invasive species that can populate Malaysia's urban landscape and urban coastal areas. C. splendens was imported from Sri Lanka to Klang, Malaysia, in the 1890s to control caterpillars on coffee plantations. After a few...

We studied Paysandisia archon (Burmeister) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae: Castniinae) courtship behavior to provide a detailed qualitative and quantitative description of male and female behaviors. Moreover, to investigate the role of antennal olfaction and visual stimuli in mate-recognition, bioassays...

Adaptation to pollinators can include the spatial arrangement of flowers on inflorescences. A brush-like arrangement of flowers has evolved in multiple plant families. The accessible rewards in these "brush flowers" are often utilized by both birds and insects, making it challenging to assess which ...

This paper discusses the puddling behaviour of butterflies for acquiring moisture and nutrients from wet soil and dung. Puddling may appear to be a dirty butterfly behavior, but it is an alternative strategy for obtaining scarce nutrients and achieving reproductive success in them. Knowledge of...

Phengaris alcon is an endangered butterfly that is subject to several conservation programs in Europe. Our study aims at evaluating how grazing pressure by domestic animals affects the maintenance of Gentiana pneumonanthe stems, larval plant host of Phengaris alcon and the survival of Phengaris...

House mice (Mus musculus) are a widespread invasive species on islands. Where they are the sole introduced mammal they can have particularly strong negative impacts on recipient ecosystems. House mice impacts have been documented on almost every component of the terrestrial ecosystem on Southern...