High-altitude windborne transport of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in mid-summer in northern China

• Published in: Journal of insect behavior Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 335 - 349
• Main Authors: Feng, H.Q, Wu, K.M, Ni, Y.X, Cheng, D.F, Guo, Y.Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer 01.05.2005; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: altitude; Animal and plant ecology; Animal ethology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Butterflies & moths; Demecology; flight behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Helicoverpa armigera; insect flight; Lepidoptera; Noctuidae; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; radar; seasonal migration; spatial distribution; wind; wind direction; wind speed; Zea mays; China; Asia; China, People's Rep; High altitude; Wind; flight behavior; Helicoverpa armigera; Insecta; Flight; Environmental factor; Animal active movement; Spatial variation; Pest; Arthropoda; Northern China; Lepidoptera; Radar observation; Population dynamics; Noctuidae; Behavior; Invertebrata; Population density; windborne transport
• ISSN: 0892-7553; 1572-8889
• DOI: 10.1007/s10905-005-3694-2

The high-altitude windborne transport of the second-generation moths of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) was observed with radar in July 2001 and 2002 at Langfang, Hebei province, China. Moths of local populations took off at dusk, with "area density" peaking ca. 0.5 h later. The variation of area density through the night suggested that the maximum flight duration was about 8.5 h. The moths generally ascended to altitudes of up to 1500 m above ground level (AGL) and formed layer concentrations at ca. 300, 500, and 1000 m AGL. Multiple layering was very common and layers were located at zones of maxima in wind speed or in wind shear rather than in temperature inversions. Both the displacement direction and the orientation of the insect were at an acute angle to the downwind direction, rather than being distributed at random, and varied as the wind direction changed. The windborne moths were mainly transported into northeastern China where maize at the silking stage would have provided good hosts for the subsequent (third) generation of H. armigera. These population movements may account for the nondevelopment of resistance to Bt cotton in H. armigera in northern China.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]