Summary
A field study of the relationship between host plant phenology and the reproductive pattern of the large milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, was conducted in south Florida. Since O. fasciatus need seeds of either milkweed or Nerium oleander plants to reproduce, reproduction takes place on only those host plants that are producing seed pods.
Two of four major host plants, Asclepias incarnata and Sarcostemma clausa fruit seasonally, producing pods in early autumn and early winter, respectively. The third milkweed host, Asclepias curassavica, produces almost no pods midsummer (although it flowers abundantly) and few pods midwinter. Nerium oleander (Apocynaceae) produces some pods all year but is only used by O. fasciatus in the summer when milkweeds are not producing pods. Correspondingly, reproduction of O. fasciatus has been observed year round, but relatively few females reproduce in midwinter, coinciding with decreased pod production and low temperatures. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that a photoperiodic cue of short day lengths under conditions of cool temperatures may cause adult females to enter diapause and delay reproduction in the field.
A comparison of plant phenologies and rainfall between 1976, a very dry year, and 1978, a year with normal rainfall, showed that extreme dryness disrupted the seasonal fruiting of the milkweeds and consequently the reproduction of O. fasciatus.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blakley N (1977) Evolutionary responses to environmental heterogeneity in milkweed bugs. Ph. D. thesis University of Iowa
Derr J (1980) Coevolution of the life history of a tropical seed-feeding insect and its food plants. Ecology 61:881–892
Dingle H (1972) Migration strategies of insects. Science 175:1327–1335
Dingle H (1978) Migration and diapause in tropical, temperate, and island milkweed bugs. In: H Dingle (ed) Evolution of insect migration and diapause. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Dingle H, Caldwell RL (1971) Temperature and reproductive success in Oncopeltus fasciatus, O. unifasciatellus, Lygaeus kalmii, and L. turcicus. Ann Ent Soc Am 64:1171–1172
Dingle H, Alden B, Blakley N, Miller E (1980a) Variation in photoperiodic response within and among species of milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus). Evolution 34:356–370
Dingle H, Blakley N, Miller E (1980b) Variation in body size and flight performance of milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus). Evolution 34:371–385
Holm R (1950) The American species of Sarcostemma. Ann Mo Bot Gard 37:447–560
Johnson CG (1969) Migration and dispersal of insects by flight. Methuen and Co, Ltd London
Klausner EM (1979) Environmental variability and the ecology of the milkweed bug in south Florida. MS thesis University of Iowa
Klausner EC, Miller E, Dingle H (1980) Nerium oleander as an alternative host plant for south Florida milkweed bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus. Ecol Ent 5:137–141
Long R, Lakela O (1976) A flora of tropical Florida. Banyon Books Miami, Florida
Ralph C (1976) Natural food requirements of the large milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, and their relation to gregariousness and host plant morphology. Oecologia (Berl) 26:157–175
Ralph C (1977) Effect of host plant density on populations of a specialized, seed-sucking bug Oncopeltus fasciatus. Ecology 58:799–809
Siegel S (1956) Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. McGraw Hill New York
United States National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Climatic Data 1976–1978
Woodson RE (1954) The North America species of Asclepias. Ann Mo Bot Gard 41:1–211
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Miller, E.R., Dingle, H. The effect of host plant phenology on reproduction of the milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, in tropical Florida. Oecologia 52, 97–103 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349016
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349016