A System for Characterizing Reproductive and Diapause Morphology in the Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

Abstract Diapause in the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, has been extensively studied, but remains poorly understood. In particular, results of diapause induction studies have been inconsistent, and the body of published literature does not clearly indicate the factors or cues responsible for induction. A likely contributor to this variability may be the differences among studies in the criteria used to distinguish diapause. We present illustrated descriptions of the stages of male and female reproductive development, and of the fat body types and conditions associated with reproductive and diapausing weevils. These descriptions provide clearer and more extensive guidelines for the classification of reproductive and diapausing boll weevils than were previously available. We also propose criteria for distinguishing diapause based on specific characters of the fat body and male and female reproductive organs. These criteria provide a means of standardizing diapause assessments in future studies, or at least a baseline for comparison when describing alternate criteria, and should serve to clarify these descriptions in future reports.