Responses of the blister beetle Hycleus apicicornis to visual stimuli

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorLebesa, Lefulesele N.
dc.contributor.authorKhan, Zeyaur R.
dc.contributor.authorHassanali, Ahmed
dc.contributor.authorPickett, John
dc.contributor.authorBruce, Toby A.
dc.contributor.authorSkellern, Matthew
dc.contributor.authorUger, Kerskink
dc.date.accessioned2012-10-23T11:51:01Z
dc.date.available2012-10-23T11:51:01Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.description.abstractInsect attraction to host plants may be partly mediated by visual stimuli. In the present study, the responses of adult Hycleus apicicornis (Gu´er.) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) to plant models of different colours, different combinations of two colours, or three hues of blue of different shapes are compared. Single-colour models comprised the colours sky blue, bright green, yellow, red, white and black. Sky blue (reflecting light in the 440–500 nm region) is the most attractive, followed by white, which reflects light over a broader range (400–700 nm). On landing on sky blue targets, beetles exhibit feeding behaviour immediately. When different hues of blue (of different shapes) are compared, sky blue is preferred over turquoise, followed by dark blue, indicating that H. apicicornis is more attracted to lighter hues of blue than to darker ones. No significant differences are found between the three shapes (circle, square and triangle) tested, suggesting that reflectance associated with colour could be a more important visual cue than shape for host location by H. apicicornis. The preference of H. apicicornis for sky blue can be exploited in designing an attractive trap for its management.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipResearch funds for this study were provided by Gatsby Charitable Foundation (U.K.) and the Kilimo Trust (East Africa). DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service (Germany) and University of Pretoria provided a grant for the living expenses of the first author.en_US
dc.identifier.citationPhysiological Entomology (2011) 36, 220–229en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/5805
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherWiley Online Libraryen_US
dc.subjectBlister beetlesen_US
dc.subjectcolour targetsen_US
dc.subjectshapeen_US
dc.subjectspectral reflectanceen_US
dc.subjectvisual cuesen_US
dc.titleResponses of the blister beetle Hycleus apicicornis to visual stimulien_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Responses of the blister....pdf
Size:
789.02 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Full Text Article
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
5.24 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
RP-Department of Chemistry