Relationships between feeding of Philaenus spumarius (L.) and the amino acid concentration in the xylem sap

Summary. 1. P.spwnarius nymphs selected young, upper leaves of Xanthium strumarium plants, which have a relatively high amino acid concentration in the xylem sap.
2. Nymphs selected or rejected a host leaf as a feeding site after a test ingestion of plant sap.
3. Nymphs fed on detached leaves kept with their petioles in a solution of amino acids, in preference to leaves with petioles in a solution containing no amino acids.
4. Nymphs caged on leaves with relatively high amino acid concentrations in the xylem sap suffered a lower mortality after 7 days than nymphs caged on leaves with low amino acid concentrations in the xylem sap.
5. Mean excretory rate increased with the increase in the amino acid concentration in the xylem sap for third and fourth instar nymphs, and adults, but not in fifth instars.