Estudo das populações de mariposas perfuradoras de frutos (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) em parreirais dos municípios de Bento Gonçalves e Farroupilha, Rio Grande do Sul

• Ano de defesa: 2009
• Autor(a) principal: Zenker, Maurício Moraes
• Orientador(a): Carvalho, Gervásio Silva
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre
• Palavras-chave em Português: ZOOLOGIA; INSETOS - RIO GRANDE DO SUL; LEPIDÓPTEROS - RIO GRANDE DO SUL
• Link de acesso: http://hdl.handle.net/10923/5322

The owlet moths proboscis morphology may indicate different feeding habits. Some species, known as fruit piercing moths, have proboscis adapted to pierce the rind (primary) or just the pulp (secondary) of fruits to feed on, causing damages to orchards, while in others this organ is use to obtain nectar and/or any kind of liquid organic matter. Aiming to determine, by studying proboscis morphology, the feeding habits of the species occurring in grapevines in Serra Gaúcha, Rio Grande do Sul, weekly catches were carried out during the fructification period, between november 2007 and march 2008, using light and McPhail traps in two cultivation areas in Bento Gonçalves and one in Farroupilha. The mouth parts of all obtained taxa were analyzed using stereoscope microscopy; scan electron microscopy images of proboscis of representative species with different alimentary habits were obtained. Aiming to determine morphological and morphometrical differences, scan electron microscopy images and measures of length and width of proboscis of five species with different alimentary habits were obtained from several specimens of both sex originating from the catches in grapevines and collections. The catches resulted in 187 taxa, of which only Oraesia argyrosema (Hampson, 1926) and Gonodonta biarmata Guenée, 1852 showed proboscis with propitious morphology to pierce rind and grape berrie pulp. Despite the proboscis difference beteween Achaea ablunaris (Guenée, 1852) and previously mentioned species, the tip in A. ablunaris is very sharp, what probably also allow the perforation of rind and pulp of grape berries. Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus, 1758); Letis mineis Geyer, 1827; Mocis latipes Hübner, 1823; Ophisma tropicalis Guenée, 1852 and Zale exhausta (Guenée, 1852) showed proboscis with morphology allowing only the perforation of grape berries pulp. Although verified the presence of species capable to pierce grape berries, it was verified also a low number of specimens in the catches, what indicate that fruit piercing moths are not capable to cause significant damages to grape cultivation in the sampled areas. The morphological and morphometrical analyses indicated no differences between males and females of the studied species; Gonodonta bidens Geyer, 1832 showed proboscis stronger and with an apical armature more appropriate to pierce fruits than Alabama argillacea (Hübner, 1823). There were no significative difference between C. major and G. bidens total proboscis length, what indicate that this character may not be use to distinguish between nectar feeding species and fruit sucking species.