The relationship between a leaf-rolling moth (Dactylioglypha tonica) and fungi covering the cocoon

To discover the relationship between a leaf-rolling moth and the fungi dens ely covering its cocoons, the rolled nest leaves were collected in two dist ricts in Japan and antibacterial properties of the fungi were examined. Coc oons and fungi isolated from the nest were classified into 5 categories by the growth stages of the insects, and 7 categories based on taxonomic prope rties and pigment productivity, respectively. The dominant genus was Penici llium in each location. However, the composition of the fungal categories w as different and seemed to depend on their circumstances. From all cocoons with larvae, the strains that belonged to the same fungal category and prod uced the same antibiotic (deoxyherqueinone) were isolated. From these resul ts, the species-specific relationship between the insect and fungi or funga l products was considered to be not extremely tight, and it was suggested t he period of the larval spinning of the cocoon is a key stage of this uniqu e relationship.