Egg production across a 40-week period in the phasmid Sipyloidea sp. (Diapheromeridae) from a tropical rain forest, north Queensland, Australia

Edwards, William, Seymour, Jamie, Pritchard, Katie, and Brock, Paul (2005) Egg production across a 40-week period in the phasmid Sipyloidea sp. (Diapheromeridae) from a tropical rain forest, north Queensland, Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology, 44 (4). pp. 364-368.

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Abstract

In this study we report the results from the first long-term (40 weeks) study of stick-insect fecundity and distribution under natural conditions of which we are aware. We used the number of eggs falling into 72 × 0.5 m^2 traps to ask: 'Was egg production in Sipyloidea sp. uniform across the sample period'? and 'Was there evidence of host plant species preference or avoidance'? We collected a total of 213 Sipyloidea sp. eggs. The number of eggs caught per week was not uniform and an exponential decay model was the best-fit relationship between egg production and time, indicative of a steep decline from high to low (but continuous) egg production across the study period. Continuous egg production differs from other insect species in tropical areas that often show distinct seasonal differences between wet and dry seasons, timed to leaf production in host plants. The distribution of eggs within traps was aggregated, and more traps than expected from Poisson probabilities received no eggs, or six or more eggs. The concentration of eggs within particular traps was not related to the identity of canopy plant species, however. We suggest that continuous egg production in Sipyloidea sp. may be related to the wider range of plant species available as food resources for the polyphagous Sipyloidea, compared with other tropical insect species.

Item ID: 5919
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1440-6055
Keywords: fecundity; host preference; Siploidea sp.; stick-insects
Date Deposited: 12 Feb 2010 01:20
FoR Codes: 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0608 Zoology > 060808 Invertebrate Biology @ 50%
06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060208 Terrestrial Ecology @ 25%
06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0699 Other Biological Sciences > 069999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified @ 25%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960806 Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 100%
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