Life History Plasticity and Gregarious Cocooning Behavior of the Wild Silkmoth Cricula trifenestrata Helfer (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) on a Novel Host Plant, Cinnamon, in Thailand
2025
Kanitsara Magnussen | Motoyuki Sumida | Suwat Promma | Anongrit Kangrang | Fritz Vollrath | Thanupong Thunchailertthakul | Chirapha Butiman
Cricula trifenestrata Helfer was recently documented on cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.), a novel host plant in Thailand. We compared life history and behavior under natural field, semi-natural caged, and laboratory conditions on cinnamon, plus opportunistic collection from hog plum (Spondias pinnata). Laboratory rearing significantly extended development (62.30 ±: 3.68 days) versus field conditions (56.30 ±: 1.83 days, p <: 0.001) through delayed egg and pupal stages, indicating life history plasticity. We discovered density-dependent oviposition plasticity (linear arrangements in field: 155.6 ±: 84.9 eggs/batch: clustered in laboratory) and novel gregarious cocooning behavior, where 85.1% of individuals (n = 47 sites) aggregated to form communal clusters with unique reticulated architecture. Female cocoon shell ratio (CSR) was significantly higher in laboratory (5.02 ±: 0.72%) and hog plum cohorts (5.30 ±: 0.30%) than field conditions (3.92 ±: 0.51%, p = 0.002). Opportunistic rearing yielded >:2 kg fresh cocoons, with clusters reaching 0.220 kg. These findings establish biological baselines for C. trifenestrata Helfer on cinnamon, reveal sophisticated social behaviors expanding lepidopteran sociality concepts, and demonstrate commercial potential for sustainable sericulture integrated with pest management.
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