Callosamia promethea is common on wild black cherry, Prunus serafina, at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern lower Michigan. In this area the early emerging morph is preponderant, while to the south in northern Indiana, the late emerging morph is preponderant

Sternburg, J. G

Waldbauer, G. P

English

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 18 Number 4 - Winter 1985 Number 4 - Winter 1985 Article 2 December 1985 Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea Populations: Preponderance of the Early Emerging Morph in the North and of the Late Emerging Morph in the South (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) G. P. Waldbauer University of Illinois J. G. Sternburg University of Illinois Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Waldbauer, G. P. and Sternburg, J. G. 1985. "Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea Populations: Preponderance of the Early Emerging Morph in the North and of the Late Emerging Morph in the South (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 18 (4) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol18/iss4/2 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 1985 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 139 ADULT EMERGENCE IN TWO UNIVOLTINE CALLOSAMIA PRO,\IETHEA POPULAnONS: PREPONDERANCE OF THE EARLY EMERGING MORPH IN THE NORTH AND OF THE LATE E::\IERGING M:ORPH IN THE SOUTH (LEPIDOPTERA: SATURNIIDAE) G. P. Waldbauer and J. G. Sternburg1 ABSTRACT Callosamia promethea is common on wild black cherry, Prunus serafina, at the Cniversity of Michigan Biological Station in northern lower Michigan. In this area the early emerging morph is preponderant, while to t e south in northern Indiana, the late emerging morph is preponderant. The diapause terminating mechanism determines the phenology f the active stages of insects and thereby has a profound effect on their ecology. A number of insects exhibit a biomodal emergence pattern, with an opportunistic group emerging early in spring and another group delaying emergence for a month or more (Waldbauer 1978). This is a bet-hedging strategy that avoids the possibility of losing all of the progeny of a pair to, for example. a late cold spell in spring or a severe drought in summer. The bimodal emergence ofHyalaphora cecropia (L.) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) was discussed in detail by Sternburg and Waldbauer (1969, 1978) and Waldbauer and Stemburg (1973). The bimodal emergence pattern of a univoltine population of Callosamia promethea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Satumiidae) from near Medaryville in northern Indiana was described by Srernburg and Waldbauer (1984). We here show that the late emerging morph predominates (over 99%) in the south near ~tedaryyille. Indiana. while the early emerging morph predominates (over 99%) in the north at the Cniversity of ~1ichigan Biological Station in northern lower Michigan, near the northern limit of promethea's range (Ferguson 1972). COLLECTING AREAS AND METHODS :\5 part of a project that involved the release and recapture of male promethea moths, we deployed 5eyen promethea traps in a mile-wide circle in northern lower Michigan near Pellston in Emmet County. The traps were on the property of the University of Michigan Biological Station! C\IBS I. on a low. sandy plain locally known as the Pellston Flats. They were in an area that includes second growth woodland. dominated by Populus tremll[oides ~tichx... as well as savannah-like clearings with scattered woody plants. including saplings of Prulllis serNina Ehrh .. which is often a promethea food-plant. The traps. described by Sternburg et aI. 119771. were baited with newly emerged. virgin, pheromone-releasing female promethea moths from 1-1 June to 9 August 1983. The traps were emptied of males and rebaited daily except from 20 July to 9 August. when they had 'Department of Entomology. Lnhersity of IlImois. l-rbana. IL 61801. 1Waldbauer and Sternburg: Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea PopPublished by ValpoScholar, 1985140 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 18, NO.4 110 100 90 80 :g, '" 70 (3'" 60 ~~ .... 50<:> '­Q.) " t: 40 ~ 30 20 10 20 Dale Caught Fig. I, Wild, male Callosamia promelhea moths caught in traps baited with virgin females at the University of Michigan Biological Station near Pelbton in 1983, bait in them only every second day, Captured wild males were not released. In 1984 we ran a similar circle of traps from 14 June to 16 July just south of the central station facilities. They had bait in them only every second day. On 10 November 1983, we collected promethea cocoons in the area which had been within the circle of traps as well as in areas from about 1.8 to 8 km west of the circle. The cocoons were taken to Urbana, Illinois, the next day and held on a screened porch where they were exposed to ambient outdoor temperatures, They were checked daily from the beginning of May until emergence was complete. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The 1983 daily trap catches of wild, male promethea moths at the UMBS are shown in Figure 1. The great majority of the moths were eaught in the second half of June. There was a peak on 21 June, and the last of the scattered late males were caught on 20 July, although we continued to trap until 9 August. Four males were caught on 15 June, the first day on which we ran the traps. The emergence of the moths could, therefore, have begun 2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 18, No. 4 [1985], Art. 2https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol18/iss4/21985 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 141 earlier but probably only a few days before. The average date of the last freeze is 6 June at Pellston. and the trees do not leaf ut until late May. In 1982. during a two-week period of trapping, one male was caught on 23 July at the station central facilities. In 1984 we trapped from 14 June to 16 July just south f the central facilities. capturing 276 males between 14 June and 12 July. As in 1983, the great majority of these moths (271) were caught in the second half of June, between 14 June and 26 June. Fifty·one males were caught on the first day of trapping, suggesting that the emen>:ence may have started even earlier in 1984 than it did in 1983. Previous to these collections. there were only two reeords of promethea from the UMBS area (Voss 1969). On 10 November 1983, we eolleeted in the vicinity of the UMBS, 52 promethea cocoons that appeared to eontain live pupae as judged by shaking the eocoons. All of the cocoons were found on wild black cherry, Prunus serafina. The emergence of moths from these cocoons was tightly clustered in late May and early June. Moths emerged from 39 of them at Lrbana on the following dates: 31 May, 1 male; I June, 3 males, I female; 2 June. 3 males. 2 females; 3 June, I male, 2 females: 4 June, 4 males. 2 females; 5 June, 7 males. 4 females: 6 June. 3 males. 6 females. There was a possibility that some of the collected cocoons could have been spun by the progeny of native females and the Indiana or Wisconsin males that we had released within the circle of traps. If so. their emerge nee dates might not have been typical of the UMBS moths. That this was not the case is shown by the fact that five coeoons collected well away 11.8-8.0 kml from the circle emerged on I and 2 June with the moths from cocoons collected within the circle. We are confident that the group of male promethea moths that was caught in the second half of June at the UMBS corresponds to the early emerging morph of the univoltine promethea population from near Medaryville, Indiana (Stemburg and Waldbauer 1984). The most convincing evidence is that when cocoons from the UMBS were moved to Crb:ma. they produced moths in late May and early June, corresponding to the emergence time at C rbana of the few early emerging promethea moths from Medaryville in other years I Slemburg and Waldbauer 1984). The UMBS moths caught on 20 and 23 July in 1983 and 1982. respectively, and possibly some f the other moths caught in July 1983, apparently correspond to the late emerging morph from Medaryville. In the two years that it appeared, the early emerging morph from Medaryville was represented by much less than I % of the entire emerging population. The late emerging morph from ~Iedary\'ille. inc uding over 99% of the samples, delayed emergence at Crbana •.+0'6' ~ latitude) by more than a month (Stemburg and Waldbauer 1984). (Cecropia cocoons from Chicago [41 °51' N] emerged about two weeks early if moved t Crbana. Thus, we judge that the Medaryville promethea cocoons, which were moved a lesser distance. emerged about 10 days early at Urbana.) At the UMBS the converse was true, The early emerging morph constituted well ov r 99% of the males trapped, while the late emerging morph constituted at most less than O.Ol % of the total number of males trapped I Fig. II. The preponderance of the late emerging morph in the s ut (Medaryville, Indiana 41°5' :-; latitude; and its almost complete replacement in the north (UMBS, 45°40' N) is presumably adaptive .. ·\Imost all of the Medaryville moths emerge in early July. This is well past the earliest possible date for emergence but avoids the uncertain weather of spring.. -\t the C~IBS,almost all of the promethea moths emerge very early in the season, probabl~ as early as they .:-an. depending upon ambient temperatures. In this instance, the moths pfCIbably cannot emerge much later without the danger of their progeny encoun­tering a frost in .-\ugust or September before they spin the cocoon and molt to the pupa. ,-\t the C~IBS the awrage date of the first frost in fall is I September. .\cKSOWLEDG~IE1'ITS We thank the statT of the l'ni\ersil\' of ~lichismn Biological Station for the use of their facilities. The research reported on here was supported b~' NSF grant BSR 82-02772. 3Waldbauer and Sternburg: Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea PopPublished by ValpoScholar, 1985142 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 18, NO.4 LITERATURE CITED Ferguson, D. C. 1972. Bombycoidea, Saturniidae (in part). pp. 155-275 in R. B. Domi­nick, et al. (eds.). (1971-2). The moths of America north of Mexico, Fasc. 20.2B Classey, London. Sternburg, 1. G. and G. P Waldbauer. 1969. Bimodal emergence of adult cecropia moths under natural conditions. Ann. EntomoL Soc. Amer. 62:1422-1429. __. 1978. Phenological adaptations in diapause termination by cecropia from different latitudes. Entomo!. Exp. and App!. 23:48-54. __. 1984. Diapause and emergence patterns in univoltine and bivoltine popUlations of promethea (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Great Lakes Entomol. 17: 155~ 161. Sternburg, 1. G., G. P. Waldbauer, and M. R. Jeffords. 1977. Batesian mimicry: selective adantage of color pattern. Science 195 :68 1-683. Waldbauer, G. P. 1978. Phenological adaptation and the polymodal emergence patterns of insects. pp. 127-144 in H. Dingle (ed.). Evolution of insect migration and diapause. Springer-Verlag, New York. Waldbauer, G. P. and J. G. Sternburg. 1973. Polymorphic termination of diapause by cecropia: genetic and geographical aspects. Bio!. Bull. 145:627-641. Voss, E. G. 1969. Moths of the Douglas Lake region (Emmet and Cheboygan counties), Michigan: I. Sphingidae--Ctenuchidae (Lepidoptera) Michigan Entomol. 2:48-54. 4The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 18, No. 4 [1985], Art. 2https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol18/iss4/2

Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine \u3ci\u3eCallosamia Promethea\u3c/i\u3e Populations: Preponderance of the Early Emerging Morph in the North and of the Late Emerging Morph in the South (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 18 
Number 4 - Winter 1985 Number 4 - Winter 
1985 
Article 2 
December 1985 
Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea 
Populations: Preponderance of the Early Emerging Morph in the 
North and of the Late Emerging Morph in the South (Lepidoptera: 
Saturniidae) 
G. P. Waldbauer 
University of Illinois 
J. G. Sternburg 
University of Illinois 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Waldbauer, G. P. and Sternburg, J. G. 1985. "Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea 
Populations: Preponderance of the Early Emerging Morph in the North and of the Late Emerging Morph in 
the South (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 18 (4) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol18/iss4/2 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. 
For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
1985 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 139 
ADULT EMERGENCE IN TWO UNIVOLTINE CALLOSAMIA 

PRO,\IETHEA POPULAnONS: PREPONDERANCE OF THE EARLY 

EMERGING MORPH IN THE NORTH AND OF THE LATE 

E::\IERGING M:ORPH IN THE SOUTH (LEPIDOPTERA: 

SATURNIIDAE) 

G. P. Waldbauer and J. G. Sternburg1 
ABSTRACT 
Callosamia promethea is common on wild black cherry, Prunus serafina, at the 
Cniversity of Michigan Biological Station in northern lower Michigan. In this area the 
early emerging morph is preponderant, while to t e south in northern Indiana, the late 
emerging morph is preponderant. 
The diapause terminating mechanism determines the phenology f the active stages of 
insects and thereby has a profound effect on their ecology. A number of insects exhibit a 
biomodal emergence pattern, with an opportunistic group emerging early in spring and 
another group delaying emergence for a month or more (Waldbauer 1978). This is a 
bet-hedging strategy that avoids the possibility of losing all of the progeny of a pair to, for 
example. a late cold spell in spring or a severe drought in summer. The bimodal 
emergence ofHyalaphora cecropia (L.) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) was discussed in detail 
by 
Sternburg and Waldbauer (1969, 1978) and Waldbauer and Stemburg (1973). The 
bimodal emergence pattern 
of a univoltine population of Callosamia promethea (Drury) 
(Lepidoptera: Satumiidae) from near Medaryville in northern Indiana was described by 
Srernburg and Waldbauer (1984). 
We here show that the late emerging morph predominates (over 99%) in the south near 
~tedaryyille. 
Indiana. while the early emerging morph predominates (over 99%) in the 
north at the Cniversity of ~1ichigan Biological Station in northern lower Michigan, near the northern limit of promethea's range (Ferguson 1972). 
COLLECTING AREAS AND METHODS 
:\5 
part 
of a project that involved the release and recapture of male promethea moths, 
we deployed 5eyen promethea traps in a mile-wide circle in northern lower Michigan near 
Pellston in Emmet County. The traps were on the property of the University of Michigan 
Biological Station! C\IBS I. on a low. sandy plain locally known as the Pellston Flats. 
They were in an area that includes second growth woodland. dominated by Populus 
tremll[oides ~tichx... as well as savannah-like clearings with scattered woody plants. 
including saplings of Prulllis serNina Ehrh .. which is often a promethea food-plant. The 
traps. described by Sternburg et aI. 119771. were baited with newly emerged. virgin, 
pheromone-releasing female promethea moths from 1-1 June to 9 August 1983. The traps 
were emptied of males and rebaited daily except from 20 July to 9 August. when they had 
'Department of Entomology. Lnhersity of IlImois. l-rbana. IL 61801. 
1
Waldbauer and Sternburg: Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea Pop
Published by ValpoScholar, 1985
140 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 18, NO.4 
110 
100 
90 
80 
:g, 
'" 
70 
(3
'" 
60 ~~ 
.... 50<:> 
'­Q.) 
" t: 40 ~ 
30 
20 
10 
20 
Dale Caught 
Fig. I, Wild, male Callosamia promelhea moths caught in traps baited with virgin females at the 
University of Michigan Biological Station near Pelbton in 1983, 
bait in them only every second day, Captured wild males were not released. In 1984 we 
ran a similar circle of traps from 14 June to 16 July just south of the central station 
facilities. They had bait in them only every second day. 
On 10 November 1983, we collected promethea cocoons in the area which had been 
within the circle of traps as well as in areas from about 1.8 to 8 km west of the circle. The 
cocoons were taken to Urbana, Illinois, the next day and held on a screened porch where 
they were exposed to ambient outdoor temperatures, They were checked daily from the 
beginning of May until emergence was complete. 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
The 1983 daily trap catches of wild, male promethea moths at the UMBS are shown in 
Figure 1. The great majority of the moths were eaught in the second half of June. There 
was a peak on 21 June, and the last of the scattered late males were caught on 20 July, 
although we continued to trap until 9 August. Four males were caught on 15 June, the first 
day on which we ran the traps. The emergence of the moths could, therefore, have begun 
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 18, No. 4 [1985], Art. 2
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol18/iss4/2
1985 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 141 
earlier but probably only a few days before. The average date of the last freeze is 6 June 
at Pellston. and the trees do not leaf ut until late May. 
In 1982. during a two-week period of trapping, one male was caught on 23 July at the 
station central facilities. In 1984 we trapped from 14 June to 16 July just south f the 
central facilities. capturing 276 males between 14 June and 12 July. As in 1983, the great 
majority of these moths (271) were caught in the second half of June, between 14 June and 
26 
June. Fifty·one males were caught 
on the first day of trapping, suggesting that the 
emen>:ence may have started even earlier in 1984 than it did in 1983. Previous to these 
collections. there were only two reeords of promethea from the UMBS area (Voss 1969). 
On 10 November 1983, we eolleeted in the vicinity of the UMBS, 52 promethea 
cocoons that appeared to eontain live pupae as judged by shaking the eocoons. All of the 
cocoons were found on wild black cherry, Prunus serafina. The emergence of moths from 
these cocoons was tightly clustered in late May and early June. Moths emerged from 39 
of 
them at 
Lrbana on the following dates: 31 May, 1 male; I June, 3 males, I female; 2 
June. 3 males. 2 females; 3 June, I male, 2 females: 4 June, 4 males. 2 females; 5 June, 
7 males. 4 females: 6 June. 3 males. 6 females. 
There was a possibility that some of the collected cocoons could have been spun by the 
progeny of native females and the Indiana or Wisconsin males that we had released within 
the circle of traps. If so. their emerge nee dates might not have been typical of the UMBS 
moths. That this was not the case is shown by the fact that five coeoons collected well 
away 11.8-8.0 kml from the circle emerged on I and 2 June with the moths from cocoons 
collected within the circle. 
We are confident that the group of male promethea moths that was caught in the second 
half of 
June at the UMBS corresponds to the early emerging morph 
of the univoltine 
promethea population from near Medaryville, Indiana (Stemburg and Waldbauer 1984). 
The 
most convincing evidence 
is that when cocoons from the UMBS were moved to 
Crb:ma. they produced moths in late May and early June, corresponding to the emergence 
time at C rbana of the few early emerging promethea moths from Medaryville in other 
years I Slemburg and Waldbauer 1984). The UMBS moths caught on 20 and 23 July in 
1983 and 1982. respectively, and possibly some f the other moths caught in July 1983, 
apparently correspond to the late emerging morph from Medaryville. 
In the two years that it appeared, the early emerging morph from Medaryville was 
represented by much less than I % of the entire emerging population. The late emerging 
morph from ~Iedary\'ille. inc uding over 99% of the samples, delayed emergence at 
Crbana 
•
.+0'6' ~ latitude) by more than a month (Stemburg and Waldbauer 1984). 
(Cecropia cocoons from Chicago [41 °51' N] emerged about two weeks early if moved t 
Crbana. Thus, we judge that the Medaryville promethea cocoons, which were moved a 
lesser distance. emerged about 10 days early at Urbana.) At the UMBS the converse was 
true, The early emerging morph constituted well ov r 99% of the males trapped, while the 
late emerging morph constituted at most less than O.Ol % of the total number of males 
trapped I Fig. II. 
The preponderance of the late emerging morph in the s ut (Medaryville, Indiana 41°5' 
:-; 
latitude; and its almost complete replacement in the north 
(UMBS, 45°40' N) is 
presumably adaptive .. ·\Imost all of the Medaryville moths emerge in early July. This is 
well past the earliest possible date for emergence but avoids the uncertain weather of 
spring.. -\t the C~IBS,almost all of the promethea moths emerge very early in the season, 
probabl~ 
as early as they 
.:-an. depending upon ambient temperatures. In this instance, the 
moths pfCIbably cannot emerge much later without the danger of their progeny encoun­
tering a frost in .-\ugust or September before they spin the cocoon and molt to the pupa. 
,-\t the C~IBS the awrage date of the first frost in fall is I September. 
.\cKSOWLEDG~IE1'ITS 
We 
thank the statT 
of the l'ni\ersil\' of ~lichismn Biological Station for the use of their 
facilities. The research reported on here was supported b~' NSF grant BSR 82-02772. 
3
Waldbauer and Sternburg: Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine Callosamia Promethea Pop
Published by ValpoScholar, 1985
142 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 18, NO.4 
LITERATURE CITED 
Ferguson, D. C. 1972. Bombycoidea, Saturniidae (in part). pp. 155-275 in R. B. Domi­
nick, et al. (eds.). (1971-2). The moths of America north of Mexico, Fasc. 20.2B 
Classey, London. 
Sternburg, 1. G. and G. P Waldbauer. 1969. Bimodal emergence of adult cecropia moths 
under natural conditions. Ann. EntomoL Soc. Amer. 62:1422-1429. 
__
. 1978. Phenological adaptations 
in diapause termination by cecropia from different 
latitudes. Entomo!. Exp. and App!. 23:48-54. 
__
. 1984. Diapause and emergence patterns 
in univoltine and bivoltine popUlations of 
promethea (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Great Lakes Entomol. 17: 155~ 161. 
Sternburg, 1. G., G. P. Waldbauer, and M. R. Jeffords. 1977. Batesian mimicry: selective 
adantage of color pattern. Science 195 :68 1-683. 
Waldbauer, G. P. 1978. Phenological adaptation and the polymodal emergence patterns 
of 
insects. pp. 127-144 
in H. Dingle (ed.). Evolution of insect migration and diapause. 
Springer-Verlag, New York. 
Waldbauer, G. P. and J. G. Sternburg. 1973. Polymorphic termination of diapause by 
cecropia: genetic and geographical aspects. Bio!. Bull. 145:627-641. 
Voss, E. G. 1969. Moths of the Douglas Lake region (Emmet and Cheboygan counties), 
Michigan: I. Sphingidae--Ctenuchidae (Lepidoptera) Michigan Entomol. 2:48-54. 
4
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 18, No. 4 [1985], Art. 2
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol18/iss4/2

https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1541&amp;context=tgle

Adult Emergence in Two Univoltine \u3ci\u3eCallosamia Promethea\u3c/i\u3e Populations: Preponderance of the Early Emerging Morph in the North and of the Late Emerging Morph in the South (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

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