The bacterial flora of lepidopterous larvae, with special reference to those of Zygaena (Fab.)

• Main Author: Pinnock, Dudley Edwin
• Published: Imperial College London 1968
• Subjects: 590
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.623109

Analysis of the bacterial flora of Zygaena larvae from several colonies was made. Marked differences in midgut flora were consistently found in larvae from different colonies) even though the bacteria associated with the food plants were essentially the same. In all larvae certain bacteria on the food plant were eliminated in the midgut to produce the flora characteristic of that colony. The mechanism by which this selective inhibition occurred was investigated, and a system is described which produces in vitro the inhibition found in vivo. The significance of the bacterial flora of the larvae is discussed. A system for the aseptic rearing of Zygaena larvae is described, which may be adapted for other phytophagous insects, also a method for the fluorescent labelled antibody tracing of cellular antigens in insect tissues. During a population study of a colony of Zygaena filipendulae (L.) and Z. lonicerae (von Schev.) (Lepidoptera, 4ygaenidae) it was found that microbial diseases caused only a low percentage of mortality among the larvae. Results indicated that in years of high larval densities, food shortage would be a factor tending to limit population size. In 1967, both populations suffered heavy mortality as a result of parasitism by Telenomus (hymenoptera, Scelionidae). First report is made of a polyhedrosis virus infection of the family Aygaenidae.