Maternal influences on size and emergence time of the cinnabar moth

Authors:
  • LRLaura J. Richards
    Laura J. Richards
  • JMJudith H. Myers
    Judith H. Myers
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Abstract
Maternal effects on egg weight, wing length, and emergence time were studied in the cinnabar moth. Egg weight was related to hatching success, but neither egg weight nor order of laying were related to pupal weight of larvae reared under greenhouse conditions. Heritabilities of wing length and emergence time calculated from the regression of mean offspring values on female parent were 0.30 ± 0.12 and 0.39 ± 0.14 respectively for female offspring. Regressions for male offspring were not significant. Significant differences between families in an ANOVA however were indicative of genetic variance. Genetic variance for female emergence time is discussed as one mechanism which has enabled synchronization of moth emergence with the appropriate phase of food plant phenology for larval development.