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Table S1. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb data of the metasedimentary rocks from the southern Huangling terrane, Yangtze craton. Table S2. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb data of unknown and standard samples.

Similar to pathogenic infection, a high population density alters insect prophylactic immunity. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are known to play critical roles in an insect's humoral immune response to microbial infection. We applied RNA sequencing to investigate differential gene expression levels in fat body and hemocyte samples from larvae reared in high- (10 larvae per jar) and low-density (1 larva per jar) conditions; the samples exhibited density-dependent prophylaxis. A number of AMP molecule-related proteins were annotated for the first time from 145,439 assembled unigenes from M. separata larvae. The transcript levels of AMP molecules such as gloverin-, defensin-, cecropin-, lebocin- and attacin-related unigenes were increased with the prophylactic immunity of high-density larvae. The pattern recognition receptor peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP), a key protein in the synthesis of AMPs in IMD- and Toll pathway-related unigenes, was also upregulated in the larvae from the high-density group. The resultant transcriptomic database was validated by the transcript levels of four selected AMP genes quantified from the high- and low-density larval groups with quantitative real-time PCR. The antimicrobial activity against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and gram-negative Edwardsiella ictaluri and Vibrio anguillarum in the hemolymph of larvae from the high-density group was significantly higher than that of larvae from the low-density group. Our findings provide the first insight into the role of AMP genes in the mechanisms of density-dependent prophylaxis in M. separata and provide new insight into the control of M. separata with biopesticides.

It has been reported that a high population density alters insect prophylactic immunity. Bursicon plays a key role in the prophylactic immunity of newly emerged adults. In this paper, full-length cDNAs encoding the alpha and beta subunits of bursicon in Mythimna separata larvae (Msburs α and Msburs β) were identified. The cDNAs of Msburs α and Msburs β contain open reading frames (ORFs) encoding 145- and 139-amino acid residue proteins, respectively. Multiple alignment sequences and phylogenetic analysis indicated that Msbursicons (Msburs α and Msburs β) are orthologous to bursicons in other lepidopterans. The Msbursicons were expressed throughout all developmental states with higher relative expression during the egg, pupae, and adult stages. Msbursicons (Msburs α and Msburs β) were highly expressed in the ventral nerve cord and brain relative to other tested tissues. Msbursicon expression of larvae subject to high-density treatment (10 larvae per jar) was significantly increased compared with that of the larvae subject to low-density treatment (1 larva per jar) in the whole fourth and fifth instar stages. The trend in the expression of the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes cecropin C and defensin in the test stage was accorded and delayed with increased expression of bursicons. Silencing Msburs α (or Msburs β) expression by dsRNA injection in larvae subject to high-density treatment significantly decreased the expression levels of the cecropin C and defensin genes. Recombinant Msbursicon homodimers significantly induced the expression of the cecropin C and defensin genes. There was a notable decrease in the survival rate of the Msburs α (or Msburs β or Mscecropin C or Msdefensin) knockdown larvae infected by Beauveria thuringiensis. Our findings provide the first insights into how larval density mediates AMP gene expression, which subsequently affects the prophylactic immunity of insects under high-density conditions.

The beet webworm Loxostege sticticalis (LS) has eruptive type of population dynamics and high migratory activity. The LS outbreaks are therefore difficult to predict and the pest belongs to the category of highly dangerous pests. However, during periods of depressions this insect is not observed within the most of its range and is very susceptible to infection by pathogens, including various species of microsporidia, some of which are not specific parasites of the order Lepidoptera. The distribution of LS microsporidia in Eurasia is quite extensive. During the study period of LS from 2003 to 2019, we have found 6 species of microsporidia. The parasite list includes not only species known for Lepidoptera such as Nosema sp. and Vairimorpha thomsoni, but also Vairimorpha (Nosema) ceranae as the typical pathogen from Apis mellifera, as well as Endoreticulatus cf poecilimonae, a pathogen similar to Endoreticulatus poecilimonae from Poecilimon thoracicus. Moreover, two isolates from the genus Tubulinosema identified in LS belong to the group of parasites with a very wide host range, including humans. In laboratory experiments, LS proved high sensitivity to microsporidia N. pyrausta from Ostrinia nubilalis and N. tyriae from Tyria jacobaeae. Its susceptibility to Paranosema locustae from Locusta migratoria has also been discovered.

The armyworm Mythimna roseilinea (Walker) is a major pest of grain crops in South China. So far little is known about its basic biology and ecology, making prediction of population dynamics difficult. This study examined the relationships of individual development and population growth with temperature based on an age-stage, two-sex life table of M. roseilinea reared on maize in the laboratory at 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30°C. The highest values of net reproductive rate (R0) and fecundity were observed at 21 and 24°C, respectively. Both the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) increased significantly and mean generation time (T) decreased significantly with increasing temperature. M. roseilinea was able to develop, survive and lay eggs at all temperature regimes tested. Development rates of the egg, larval, pupal, as well as the whole pre-oviposition stages had a positive linear relationship with temperature. The calculated development threshold temperatures of egg, larval, pupal, pre-oviposition and total pre-oviposition stages were 13.29, 8.39, 14.35, 7.42, and 12.24°C, respectively, and their effective accumulated temperatures were 63.59, 445.00, 211.11, 89.02, and 698.95 degree-days, respectively. These results provide insight into temperature-based phenology and population ecology of this insect pest and will allow population prediction and management available in the field.