Beautiful new winged worker here to control honeysuckle
CAMOUFLAGE WORKS
A species of tiny, colourful jumping spider employs two lines of defence to avoid being eaten: camouflaging itself with plants and walking like an ant, according to international researchers.
They say this combination of camouflage and movement mimicry helps them evade spidereating spiders but does not deter hungry praying mantises.
They found the colourful Siler collingwoodi jumping spider was more difficult for predatory spiders and praying mantises to see against colourful backgrounds compared with noncolourful spiders. They also found the antmimicking was less likely to attract predatory spiders, but praying mantises had no qualms about eating them or their nonantmimicking counterparts.
The researchers say this may be due to the fact praying mantises are larger and less likely to be injured by ants, while the predatory spiders are more wary of attacking something that looks like it could bite back. — iScience
MYRTLE RUST DETECTION
Myrtle rust threatens Aotearoa’s most iconic plants including po¯hutakawa, ma¯nuka, and ra¯ta¯, and commercial nurseries that propagate species are particularly prone to the fungal disease. Now New Zealand researchers have found a remote way to detect myrtle rust days before plants show visible signs of infection.
Thermal imaging was able to detect a decrease in temperature in rose apple leaves at least a day before visible symptoms, and a hyperspectral sensor could detect changes in the wavelength of reflected light up to three days before.
Earlier detection will hopefully mean treatment can be started earlier and disease outbreaks can be stopped. — Phytopathology
WILD ANIMAL WELLBEING
A worldfirst holistic framework for assessing the mental and psychological wellbeing of wild animals could provide early warning signals about species challenges and population declines.
The framework, developed at the University of Technology Sydney, could revolutionise conservation efforts, by shifting the focus from population numbers and reproductive success to the quality of life experienced by wild animals.
This shift in perspective could lead to more effective conservation strategies.
Lead researcher Dr Andrea Harvey says a deeper understanding of the wellbeing of wild animal populations can also provide an indication of the state of the natural environment and its recognised links to human health and wellbeing.
The colourful Siler collingwoodi jumping spider.
Anew, very beautiful butterfly now graces New Zealand, the Honshu white admiral (Limenitis glorifica, family Nymphalidae).
The adult butterfly has a wingspan of about 60mm. The upper surface of the wings is black with a gracefully curved white band, while the underside is reddish brown, banded with silver and black. Its pale yellow eggs are laid on Japanese honeysuckle leaves. Caterpillars are green with a brown horn.
The Honshu white admiral was first reared in New Zealand experimentally by Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research in 2010 as a potential biocontrol agent for the introduced pest weed Japanese honeysuckle.
Very extensive trials showed it did not adversely affect any species of animal or plant in New
Zealand other than Japanese honeysuckle. It was then officially released as a biocontrol agent in 2015, first in the Karangahake Gorge in the Waikato.
Spreading quickly from this site, the Honshu white admiral soon became abundant in the Bay of Plenty. Local authorities have since released adult butterflies elsewhere in the country.
The total New Zealand butterfly fauna is very small and declining, partly because a suite of parasitoid insects was introduced in the 20th century to control the accidentally introduced European white butterfly Pieris rapae, whose caterpillars eat crucifers (cabbages and related plants).
Unfortunately, the biocontrol agents, many of which are tiny parasitoid wasps, also attack nonpest butterflies, including native New Zealand red and yellow admiral butterflies, whose caterpillars eat stinging nettles. These butterflies declined steeply after the parasitoid introductions.
I have found that Australian
Top: The wing upper surface of newlyemerged adult Honshu white admiral. Left: the wing undersurface. Above: the butterfly’s host plant, Japanese honeysuckle. whitespotted ichneumonid wasps emerge from up to 95% of red admiral pupae collected from tree nettle on parts of Otago Peninsula, after having devoured the immature butterfly.
The Honshu white admiral butterfly has a very narrow range of host plants on the island of Honshu in Japan, where it is endemic and feeds almost exclusively on Japanese honeysuckle. Caterpillars of the Honshu white admiral are very unlikely to eat any other plant in New Zealand.
The new butterfly’s host plant, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) occurs throughout New Zealand, especially in the North Island, where in some areas it is spreading rapidly through native scrub, regenerating and damaged native forest, and in wetlands: it is already showing its potential for becoming an increasingly serious introduced pest weed plant.
People in New Zealand will surely gladly welcome this beautiful addition to our insect fauna.