Data for: Reproductive life-history traits of the classical biological control agent Hypena opulenta (Lepidoptera: Erebidae): Using agent biology to support post release monitoring and establishment

It is important to develop efficient and cost-effective methods for monitoring the establishment and fitness of biological control agents. Understanding how simple and obtainable measurements of insects or their body parts relate to reproductive life-history traits could facilitate assessing the fitness of biological control agent populations in the field. Across many insect taxa, female size represents a principal constraint on potential fecundity. Here, we investigate the relationship between pupal measurements and aspects of potential fecundity in Hypena opulenta (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), a recently released biological control agent against Vincetoxicum rossicum and V. nigrum (Apocynaceae) in Ontario Canada. We dissected adult H. opulenta females of different ages to assess their strategy of oogenesis by counting and measuring the number of eggs in their ovarioles and establishing the relationship between pupal measurements and potential fecundity. A second experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between pupal weight and adult longevity. While moths emerged with eggs in their ovarioles, oogenesis continued throughout the adult stage, and mean egg size increased with time after emergence. These observations place the moth closer to being an income breeder on the ovigeny index scale. We observed no significant relationship between pupal weight and total number of eggs; however, pupal weight was positively correlated with adult longevity. These results demonstrate the limited use of general size-fecundity relationships in post-release assessments for insects that are income breeders. However, they also highlight how the understanding of reproductive strategy in H. opulenta can provide important information to aid in its establishment and spread at release sites.开发高效且经济的方法，用于监测生物防治因子（biological control agents）的定殖与适合度，具有重要的学术与应用价值。明确昆虫或其躯体部位的简易可获取测量指标与繁殖生活史性状之间的关联，有助于实地评估生防因子种群的适合度。在众多昆虫类群中，雌性个体体型是制约其潜在繁殖力的主要因素。本研究以加拿大安大略省用于防治加拿大白前（Vincetoxicum rossicum）和黑白前（V. nigrum，夹竹桃科Apocynaceae）的新近释放生防因子——银锭夜蛾（Hypena opulenta，鳞翅目Lepidoptera、裳蛾科Erebidae）为研究对象，探讨其蛹期测量指标与潜在繁殖力各维度之间的关联。我们解剖了不同日龄的银锭夜蛾雌性成虫，通过计数并测量其卵巢小管（ovarioles）内的卵粒数量，评估其卵子发生（oogenesis）策略，并明确蛹期测量指标与潜在繁殖力之间的关联。我们开展了第二项实验，以探究蛹重与成虫寿命之间的关联。尽管成虫羽化时其卵巢小管内已带有卵粒，但卵子发生过程会贯穿整个成虫阶段，且平均卵粒大小会随羽化后天数增加而增大。基于这些观察结果，在卵子发生指数（ovigeny index）的分类体系中，该夜蛾更偏向于收入型繁殖者（income breeder）。我们未发现蛹重与总卵粒数之间存在显著关联，但蛹重与成虫寿命呈显著正相关。本研究结果表明，针对收入型繁殖者昆虫的释放后评估中，通用的体型-繁殖力关联模型的应用存在局限性。但同时，本研究也凸显了明确银锭夜蛾的繁殖策略，可为其在释放定殖点的定殖与扩散提供关键辅助信息。