Effects of Temperature and Foliage Quality on the Consumption and Performance of the Defoliator Ormiscodes amphinome (Saturniidae) in Northwestern Patagonia

PARITSIS, J, TT VEBLEN

Boulder, CO, EE.UU.

Jornada; High Country Lepidopterists Meeting; 2008

In the Patagonian Andes the subalpine southern beech (N. pumilio) experiences severe defoliations caused by Ormiscodes (Saturniidae: Hemileucinae) species. However, little is known about the Nothofagus-Ormiscodes ecological interaction. I evaluated the effects of temperature and food quality on the consumption rate and performance of Ormiscodes amphimone. Larvae feed with foliage from mesic stands showed superior performance than those feed with foliage from xeric stands; and larvae reared at warmer temperature (20°C) showed higher consumption rates than larvae reared at cooler temperature (15°C). These results have critical implications in the context of climate warming trends in Patagonia.