Parasitism rates of koa moth (Scotorythra paludicola) caterpillars during koa moth outbreak, 2013-2014
Dates
Publication Date
2021-04-13
Start Date
2013-02-26
End Date
2013-08-15
Citation
Peck, R.W. and Banko, P.C., 2021, Hawaii Island insect response to koa moth (Scotorythra paludicola) outbreak, 2013-2014: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9HE9WKK.
Summary
The koa moth (Scotorythra paludicola) is a species of moth that has been reported to irrupt in abundance on occasion over the past 100 years, sometimes defoliating its host plant, koa (Acacia koa), during the event. This data release includes metadata and tabular data that document rate at which koa moth caterpillars were attacked and killed by parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera) during an outbreak of the koa moth that resulted in widespread defoliation of koa across much of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge during 2013-2014. The data set documents the fate of caterpillars collected from koa foliage during the outbreak and reared in the lab, as well as the species identification of parasitoid wasps that emerged from caterpillars. [...]
Summary
The koa moth (Scotorythra paludicola) is a species of moth that has been reported to irrupt in abundance on occasion over the past 100 years, sometimes defoliating its host plant, koa (Acacia koa), during the event. This data release includes metadata and tabular data that document rate at which koa moth caterpillars were attacked and killed by parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera) during an outbreak of the koa moth that resulted in widespread defoliation of koa across much of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge during 2013-2014. The data set documents the fate of caterpillars collected from koa foliage during the outbreak and reared in the lab, as well as the species identification of parasitoid wasps that emerged from caterpillars. The parasitism rate was calculated as the percent of caterpillars from which a parasitoid wasp emerged.
Data were collected to document the rate at which koa moth caterpillars were attacked and killed by parasitoid wasps during the 2013-2014 outbreak of the koa moth at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. The results help identify the extent to which koa moth caterpillar were affected by these natural enemies during the outbreak. These data were used in collaboration with data sets that quantified the abundances of caterpillar and adult stages of the koa moth, the abundance of parasitoid wasps that attack koa moth caterpillars, and the amount of frass that caterpillars produce.
