Effects of temperature and photoperiod on development and pre-reproductive period of the silver Y moth Autographa gamma (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

AbstractAdults of Autographa gamma (Linnaeus) make regular, seasonal migrations into areas where they are unable to breed continuously. Individuals migrate into Britain each spring, and after one, two or three generations, offspring of the spring migrants return to over-wintering areas in North Africa and the Middle East. The larvae are highly polyphagous and have been recorded damaging many crops, especially Brassica spp. Insects usually migrate during the adults' pre-reproductive period (PRP). The length of this period is therefore an index of migratory potential since individuals with longer PRPs have more time to express their capacity for flight and to travel further. Individuals reared outside in Britain in autumn have longer PRPs than individuals reared outside in summer. Laboratory experiments show that PRPs are extended at low temperatures and under short photoperiods and there is some evidence that PRPs are also extended under gradually decreasing photoperiods. By extending PRPs in response to environmental conditions typical of Britain in autumn, individuals are able to increase their potential for pre-reproductive migratory flight and therefore their potential for reaching suitable overwintering sites further south.