Natural History of the Predatory Insect of <i>Dipteryx oleifera</i> Seeds in Nicaragua

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was conducted to raise larvae that feed on D. oleifera seeds. It was found that adult insects belong to the genre Taeniaptera. The larvae were collected in the tropical rain forest in Eastern Nicaragua during the months of April and May, 2006. Observations of the conditions of the site have been conducted annually until 2011. The evidence we present is valuable as a scientific discovery but also as an observation exercise of the life history of seed predatory insects. The results of this study are part of a research program on the establishment dynamics of seedlings from the Dipteryx oleifera species, a commercially valuable species in Nicaragua. The main results of the experiment indicate that the presence of this insect’s larvae is density-dependent. Most of the seeds containing larvae were found under adult trees and in spots of seed accumulation under bat feeding areas, where the high density of seeds attracted adult individuals. Our results support the hypothesis of density dependence in the establishment of this species in tropical rain forests (Janzen, 1970).

Keywords: Natural History; Insect; Taeniaptera; Granivory; Seeds; Tropical Rain Forest; Nicaragua

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/encuentro.v43i88.457

Encuentro 2011/ Año XLIII, N° 88, 86-100