Title

Larval host records of butterflies in Japan

Names of authors

Masayuki U. Saito, Utsugi Jinbo, Masaya Yago, Osamu Kurashima, Motomi Ito

Affiliations and addresses of the authors

Masayuki U. Saito
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
3-5-8 Saiwaicho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8472, Japan

Utsugi Jinbo
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science
4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan

Masaya Yago
The University Museum, The University of Tokyo
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

Osamu Kurashima
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan

Motomi Ito
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan

Corresponding author

Masayuki U. Saito
E-mail: saito.ume@gmail.com

Abstract

Using Japanese literature, we created a consolidated list of host records of butterflies in Japan. The list used the host records described in eight major illustrated reference books, two checklists, and 14 other pieces of literature. The presence of larvae on plants, the observation of larvae eating plants or insects in the field were considered as host records. We collected all species recorded in Japan. Scientific, family, and Japanese names of butterflies were consolidated using the BINRAN database (http://binran.lepimages.jp/). Scientific and Japanese names of host plants were based on the YList database (http://ylist.info/). If scientific names of host plants were not found in YList, we used scientific names based on The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org/). Family names of host plants were based on the Catalogue of Life database (http://www.catalogueoflife.org/). Scientific, family, and Japanese names of host insects were based on the MOKUROKU database (http://konchudb.agr.agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp/mokuroku/) for Hymenoptera and the catalogue of the Paraneoptera of Japan published by the Entomological Society of Japan for Hemiptera. We also provided the references of each host record and the original names described in the referred literature. Two datasets, HostDB and ReferenceDB, were created to include 3600 records of butterfly larval hosts in Japan, along with scientific and Japanese names of each species and a literature list. These datasets will be useful for basic and applied biological studies of butterflies. Data files are stored in the Ecological Research Data Archives (http://db.cger.nies.go.jp/JaLTER/ER_DataPapers/) and available from http://hostbj.lepumus.net/. These datasets are published under the Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).

Keywords

• biotic interaction
• database
• feeding habit
• food plant
• host insect
• host plant
• larva
• Lepidoptera
• life history
• literature study

Introduction

Information on larval hosts of butterflies is beneficial for various basic and applied biological studies. For example, to understand the evolutionary dynamics of butterflies based on interspecific comparison, many studies use host information obtained from existing data sources (e.g., Janz et al. 2001; Braby and Trueman 2006; Nylin et al. 2014). Butterflies are an indicator and a flagship group for biodiversity conservation (Lewis and Senior 2011; van Swaay et al. 2011). Vulnerability to environmental changes such as habitat fragmentation and climate change is often assessed based on feeding habits and host ranges (e.g., Tscharntke et al. 2002; Diamond et al. 2011; Soga and Koike 2012). From a perspective that hosts can have no small effect on species distribution (Wisz et al. 2013), the distribution analysis of a butterfly species considering the host is performed (e.g., Braschler and Hill 2008). In any case, knowledge of the relationship between a butterfly and the host is a prerequisite. For the advancement of biological studies, it is important to gather butterfly host records, improve their data quality, and share them as a single dataset in a general and easy-to-use format.

Current access to this type of information in Japan is far from ideal. Two main issues exist, related to data access and use of butterfly host records from Japan. The first is accessibility to imformation. In Japan, life histories of most butterflies, along with their hosts, are investigated in detail. Such information is recorded primarily in literature such as illustrated reference books, commercial magazines, coterie magazines, and self-published books. It is not difficult to collect recent host records because a comprehensive host list and a series of annual reviews on butterfly studies are available (Nihira 2004; Yago 2010, 2011a, 2011b, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). However, many of these literature are described only in Japanese, and species names of butterflies and hosts are often represented only by Japanese names. It can be difficult to obtain a copy of certain references, and some are not registered in major reference databases such as the Zoological Record. Thus, researchers who are not familiar with Japanese language and Japanese names have difficulty using and accessing the data. In fact, the HOSTS database (Robinson et al. 2010), the most comprehensive host database of butterflies and moths in the world, lacks information from many Japanese butterfly references.

The second issue is the inconsistency of names. In general, the scientific name used in each reference is not always consistent. Even if the same species was described in different sources, names used for the species are often different owing to changes in classification systems based on the progress of taxonomic studies. The records of HOSTS databases are based on multiple references, and thus, similar issues on the inconsistency of host taxon names and concepts remain unsolved. Although this issue is difficult to resolve, it is a reasonable solution to assemble dispersal host records and tied them with an authorized species name list reviewed by taxonomists. Such species name lists are available for butterflies (Inomata et al. 2010-2013, Inomata et al. 2013, Jinbo et al., 2013), plants (Yonekura and Kajita 2003), and other insects (Tadauchi and Inoue 1999).

To utilize known host information effectively, it is necessary to aggregate dispersed information and standardize both the format and the content of the data, in particular species names. Therefore, we created a consolidated list of host records of butterflies in Japan found in Japanese literature. This dataset facilitates accessibility to data on butterfly host records in Japan, and it will be utilized for various studies and practices concerning butterflies.

Metadata

1. Title

Larval host records of butterflies in Japan

2. Contributors

A. Principal investigators

Masayuki U. Saito
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
3-5-8 Saiwaicho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8472, Japan

Utsugi Jinbo
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science
4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan

Masaya Yago
The University Museum, The University of Tokyo
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

Osamu Kurashima
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan

Motomi Ito
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan

B. Data set owner and contact information

Masayuki U. Saito
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
3-5-8 Saiwaicho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8472, Japan
E-mail: saito.ume@gmail.com

3. Geographic and temporal coverage

Japan

4. Temporal coverage

Until 2015

5. Methods

A. Data collection

To create the consolidated list of larval hosts of butterflies in Japan, we collected the host records described in major illustrated reference books (Fukuda et al. 1982, 1983, 1984a, 1984b; Shirôzu 2006; Yata et al. 2007; Japan Butterfly Conservation Society 2012; Sugawara and Takahashi 2014) and checklists (Nihira 2004; Higa and Nagamine 2013) in Japan. Moreover, the host records in other literature (Fukuda 1997; Yatsu 2002, 2007; Beni 2004; Yago 2010, 2011a, 2011b, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, Daisetsu 2012; Asahi 2014; Futao II 2015) were also added to the dataset. In addition, we used information obtained through personal communication with one of the authors, M. Yago, a taxonomist of butterflies.

In this study, we defined a host record as the occurrence of larvae on plants or the observation of larvae eating plants or insects in Japanese fields. We collected all species recorded in either area in Japan. Records were excluded only for oviposition because it is insufficient to specify the host. Similarly, a record of feeding under only rearing environment was also excluded. Host records from outside of Japan were not included in the dataset.

B. Data verification

Scientific, family and Japanese names of butterflies were consolidated via the BINRAN database (Inomata et al. 2010-2013; Jinbo et al. 2013), which is the current checklist of Japanese butterflies based on the catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Japan published by the Entomological Society of Japan (Inomata et al. 2013). Scientific and Japanese names of host plants were based on the YList database (Yonekura and Kajita 2003), the index of Japanese–scientific names. If scientific names of host plants were not found in YList, we used scientific names based on The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org/ Accessed 15 February 2016), a comprehensive working list of all known plant species. Family names of host plants were based on the Catalogue of Life database (http://www.catalogueoflife.org/ Accessed 22 December 2014), the most comprehensive and authoritative global index of species. Scientific, family, and Japanese names of host insects were based on checklists of Japanese insects: the MOKUROKU database (http://konchudb.agr.agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp/mokuroku/ Accessed 30 October 2015) for Hymenoptera and the catalogue of the Paraneoptera of Japan published by the Entomological Society of Japan (Hayashi et al. in press) for Hemiptera. Both the plant and insect species that only genus or family name is identified by original literature was filled a cell using sp. or spp. The host species for which the genus or family name could not be identified was presented as a blank cell.

Because most host species described in literature used Japanese names and family names (except for Nihira 2004), we identified the appropriate scientific name for these records. In addition, inconsistencies of description among literature were often found. To check for mistakes and judge for inconsistencies, a review by M. Yago was carried out for the dataset. Moreover, we showed the references of each host record and the original names described in the referred literature. This makes it feasible to easily verify each host record. Rare host records were often contained in original literature. When Japanese of the meaning “rare” was explicitly written for the description of original literature, we made it possible to distinguish the possibility of rare host record as a note.

6. Data status

A. Latest update

22 December 2015

The datasets will be updated when references with new host records or new checklist of host species (plants, insects) are published.

7. Accessibility

A. License and usage rights

These datasets are published under the Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Accessed 18 November 2015).

B. Storage location

These datasets are stored in the Ecological Research Data Archives (http://db.cger.nies.go.jp/JaLTER/ER_DataPapers/) and are available for download from http://hostbj.lepumus.net/.

8. Data structure

A. Dataset components

B. Format type

The data tables are prepared as tab delimited text files encoded in UTF-8.

C. Data table descriptions

9. Acknowledgements

We thank A. Arata, S. Arata, S. Kuriyama, H. Takagi and T. Ishikawa for helping the creation of the dataset. This study was partly supported by grants from the GRENE (Green Network of Excellence) Environmental Information by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, the NBRP (National Bio Resource Project) of AMED, and JSPS KAKENHI [grant numbers 26440207, 26740029].

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