Molecular identification and population dynamics of two species of Pemphigus (Homoptera: Pemphidae) on cabbage

The poplar petiole gall aphid, Pemphigus populitransversus Riley, has been one of the major pests on cruciferous vegetable in the Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas since the late 1940s. It normally migrates from poplar trees to cruciferous vegetables in the fall, and migrates back to the trees in early spring of the coming year. Some root‐feeding aphids were found on cruciferous vegetables in late spring and early summer in 1998 and the following years. Those aphids have been identified as Pemphigus obesinymphae Moran. This discovery completely changed the current knowledge about the root‐feeding aphids on cruciferous vegetables in the LRGV. Due to their small size, morphological and feeding similarities between P. populitransversus and P. obesinymphae, their identification and distinction are difficult. In this study, random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) were used to distinguish these two species over a period of time when the two species occurred together, or separately, in cabbage fields. The two species occurred on cabbage at different times of the year, and overlapped from October to June. From May to October, both species migrated to their primary hosts. The apterous aphids found on cabbage in winter contained mainly P. obesinymphae, whereas in early spring more apterous P. populitransversus were recovered. The root‐feeding aphids would feed on cabbage plants as long as this host was available even during the hot, dry summer in the LRGV, although their populations were generally low. Both RAPD and AFLP techniques were efficient in discriminating the two species that showed obviously genetic variability. These molecular techniques confirmed the existence of the two aphid species in apterous samples collected from the soil in cabbage fields in the LRGV, and the results performed by RAPD were confirmed by AFLP. Furthermore, the results suggest that RAPD technique was a better choice despite its reproducibility problem, as it was less time‐consuming and required less technology, labor and expense than AFLP.     

桃蚜对不同单色光趋性反应的测定

为了探讨蚜虫对不同色光选择反应的定量指标, 采用滤光片技术测定了有翅和无翅桃蚜Myzus persicae对不同波长单色光的趋性反应。结果表明: 有翅蚜对490~550 nm范围内的单色光表现出明显趋性, 其中对538.9和549.9 nm的绿偏黄色光趋性最强, 平均位移分别达25.29和22.97 cm, 其次为491.5 nm的蓝绿色光, 而对于波长576.0 nm的黄色光并没有表现出明显趋性。无翅蚜对不同单色光的趋性反应则没有明显的峰值, 最高相对平均位移仅1.41。行为测定结果与前人电生理测定的结果基本一致, 说明以位移作为小体昆虫趋光性强弱的指标是可靠的。     

蓝光照射对黄瓜无翅瓜蚜驱避行为的影响

蓝光照射可以降低黄瓜Cucumis sativus上蚜虫的种群密度,但蓝光照射后无翅蚜虫是如何被驱离的尚未见报道。本文以盆栽黄瓜为供试材料,研究蓝光照射对黄瓜上无翅瓜蚜Aphis gossypii驱避行为的影响。结果表明,蓝光照射对设施黄瓜上的无翅蚜有较强的驱避作用,光照强度越大、照射时间越长,黄瓜上蚜虫的虫口减退率越大。蓝光照射后无翅蚜主要通过黄瓜主茎离开黄瓜向花盆的土下迁移,少部分蚜虫还可以顺着花盆向盆外迁移。光强越强,相同时间内迁离黄瓜的蚜虫越多。300 lux蓝光照射10 h后,蚜虫种群的校正虫口减退率达到64.03%。相同的蓝光光强和照射时间下,晚间蓝光照射处理后蚜虫的迁移数量多于白天。地面黄光环境对蓝光驱避黄瓜蚜虫具有较强的促进作用,盆外放置黄板,迁向盆外的蚜虫量增加。黄光点亮30 min后关闭,同时打开蓝光可以提高蓝光对蚜虫驱避作用。因此,蓝光照射可以驱离黄瓜上的无翅蚜,驱离的无翅蚜主要迁移到盆内土中,少量的可以迁出花盆。     

Females of Cotesia vestalis,a parasitoid of diamondback moth larvae,learn to recognise cues from aphid‐infested plants to exploit honeydew

1. To maximise their reproductive success, the females of most parasitoids must not only forage for hosts but must also find suitable food sources. These may be nectar and pollen from plants, heamolymph from hosts and/or honeydew from homopterous insects such as aphids. 2. Under laboratory conditions, females of Cotesia vestalis, a larval parasitoid of the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) which does not feed on host blood, survived significantly longer when held with cruciferous plants infested with non‐host green peach aphids (Myzus persicae) than when held with only uninfested plants. 3. Naïve parasitoids exhibited no preference between aphid‐infested and uninfested plants in a dual‐choice test, but those that had been previously fed aphid honeydew significantly preferred aphid‐infested plants to uninfested ones. 4. These results suggest that parasitoids that do not use aphids as hosts have the potential ability to learn cues from aphid‐infested plants when foraging for food. This flexible foraging behaviour could allow them to increase their lifetime reproductive success.     

Within-plant distribution of cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in Bt and non-Bt cotton fields

Knowledge of the vertical and horizontal distribution of Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on genetically modified cotton plants over time could help optimize decision-making in integrated cotton aphid management programs. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the vertical and horizontal distribution of A. gossypii in non-transgenic Bt cotton and transgenic Bt-cotton over time during two cotton seasons by examining plants throughout the seasons. There was no significant interaction between years and cotton cultivar treatments for apterous or alate aphids. Considering year-to-year data, analyses on season-long averages of apterous or alate aphids showed that aphid densities per plant did not differ among years. The number of apterous aphids found per plant for the Bt transgenic cultivar (2427 apterous aphids per plant) was lower than for its isoline (3335 apterous aphids per plant). The number of alate aphids found per plant on the Bt transgenic cultivar (12.28 alate aphids per plant) was lower than for the isoline (140.56 alate aphids per plant). With regard to the vertical distribution of apterous aphids or alate aphids, there were interactions between cotton cultivar, plant age and plant region. We conclude that in comparison to non-Bt cotton (DP 4049), Bt cotton (DP 404 BG (Bollgard)) has significant effects on the vertical, horizontal, spatial and temporal distribution patterns of A. gossypii, showing changes in its distribution behaviour inside the plant as the cotton crop develops. The results of our study are relevant for understanding the vertical and horizontal distribution of A. gossypii on Bt cotton cultivar (DP 404 BG (Bollgard)) and on its isoline (DP 4049), and could be useful in decision-making, implementing controls and determining the timing of population peaks of this insect.     

Antibiosis and antixenosis of six commonly produced potato cultivars to the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

The antibiotic and antixenotic resistance of six commonly produced potato cultivars in Iran including Aozonia, Agria, Cosima, Cosmos, Kondor and Savalan to the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae Sulzer, were investigated under laboratory conditions at 20 ± 2oC, 65 ± 5% RH and 16:8h (L:D) in 2009. Antibiosis experiments showed significant differences in the developmental time, nymphal survivorship, fecundity, adult longevity of the green peach aphid among the potato cultivars. Intrinsic rate of natural increase (r m) for apterous aphids varied significantly with the potato cultivars on which the aphids were reared. This value ranged from 0.225 to 0.293 females/female/day, which was lowest on Cosmos and highest on Aozonia. Additionally, the estimated net reproductive rate (R0) and finite rate of increase (λ) for apterous aphids were the lowest on Cosmos. For the antixenosis experiment, no significant difference was found in aphid's preference to the potato cultivars. However, Aozonia was preferred more than the other five cultivars by the apterous aphids. Therefore, our results demonstrated that among the investigated cultivars the Cosmos cultivar is moderately resistant to the green peach aphid.     

Vertical and Temporal Distribution of Aphis gossypii Glover and Coccinellid Populations on Different Chilli (Capsicum annuum) Varieties

The vertical and temporal distribution of an aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, and the coccinellid populations on six chilli varieties were studied. The total number of apterous aphid per plant stratum was significantly different among plant strata of a particular variety (treatment) as well as among the treatments. Generally, the total number of aphids was significantly greater in the lower stratum than in the middle and upper strata. However, the varieties with erect and open plant architecture (Kulai and MC 11) had significantly less number of apterous aphids at all strata as compared to varieties with compact or prostrate plant architectures. There was a significant difference in the total number of coccinellids per plant strata among the treatments but not within a treatment. The distribution of apterous aphid populations varied significantly among sampling periods and treatments. The temporal distribution of coccinellids showed a similar trend as that of apterous aphids. The total number of alate aphids caught per week was significantly different among the sampling periods. However, its population was significantly greater during the early season and gradually declined as the season progressed except during June 18 to 24. The importance of recording the most observed coccinellids species, which limit the aphid populations at each particular plant stratum per variety, and the conditions that favor natural enemies are also discussed.     

Soybean cyst nematode effects on soybean aphid preference and performance in the laboratory

Herbivores on plants frequently interact via shared resources. Studies that have examined performance of herbivores in the presence of other herbivores, however, have often focused on above-ground feeding guilds and relatively less research has examined interactions between below- and above-ground consumers. We examine how soybean aphid, Aphis glycines (Matsumura) an above-ground phloem-feeding herbivore, interacts with a below-ground plant parasite, soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines (Ichinohe) through their shared host plant, soybean (Glycine max L). Laboratory experiments evaluated the preference of alate (flight-capable) soybean aphids toward plants either infected with soybean cyst nematode or uninfected controls in a simple choice arena. Alate soybean aphids preferred uninfected soybean over soybean cyst nematode-infected plants: 48 h after the releases of alate aphids in the center of the arena, 67% more aphids were found on control soybean compared with nematode infected plants. No-choice feeding assays were also conducted using clip cages and apterous (flight-incapable) aphids to investigate effect of soybean cyst nematode infection of soybean on aphid performance. These studies had mixed results: in one set of experiments overall aphid population growth at 7 d was not statistically different between control and soybean cyst nematode-infected plants. A different experiment using a life-table analysis found that apterous aphids feeding on soybean cyst nematode-infected plants had significantly greater finite rate of increase (λ), intrinsic rate of increase (r(m)), and net reproductive rate (R(o)) compared with aphids reared on uninfected (control) soybean plants. We conclude that the below-ground herbivore, soybean cyst nematode, primarily influences soybean aphid behavior rather than performance.     

Influence of aphid size,age and behaviour on host choice by the parasitoid wasp Ephedrus californicus: a test of host-size models

Summary When host quality varies, parasitoid wasps are expected to oviposit selectively in high-quality hosts. We tested the assumption underlying host-size models that, for solitary species of wasps, quality is based on host size. Using Ephedrus californicus, a solitary endoparasitoid of the pea aphid, we evaluated the influence of aphid size (= mass), age and defensive behaviours on host selection. Experienced parasitoid females were given a choice among three classes of 5-day-old apterous nymphs: small aphids that had been starved daily for 4 h (S4) and 6 h (S6) respectively, and large aphids permitted to feed (F) normally. Wasps attacked more, and laid more eggs in, small than large aphids (S6>S4>F). This rank-order for attack did not change when females could choose among aphids of the same size that differed in age; however, wasps oviposited in all attacked aphids with equal probability. Host size did not influence parasitoid attack rates when aphids were anaesthetized so that they could not escape or defend themselves. As predicted by host-size models, wasp size increased with host size (F>S4; S6), but large wasps required longer to complete development than their smaller counterparts (S4E. californicus reflects a trade-off between maximization of fitness gains per egg and the economics of search-time allocation. Because large aphids are more likely to escape parasitization, a wasp must balance her potential gain in fitness by ovipositinng in a high-quality (large) aphid against her potential cost in terms of lost opportunity time if the attack fails.     

Postfledging parental care and unexpected foraging behaviour of juvenile Sooty Terns Onychoprion fuscata in the southern Mozambique Channel

The Berlese funnel method, and its variations, is commonly used for the extraction of arthropods from various substrates such as nest material. However, little is known about its effectivity in extracting ectoparasites from penguin nests. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a modified Berlese funnel method in extracting ectoparasites from African Penguin Spheniscus demersus nests and to determine differences in extraction capacity across parasite taxa and life stages. African Penguin nests (n = 278) were sampled at five penguin colonies along the south-west coast of South Africa in 2017. Nest samples were subjected to a modified Berlese funnel method with naphthalene as a repellent. Thereafter, all remaining ectoparasites were removed by hand sorting. Ectoparasite abundance was positively correlated between the two extraction methods (Spearman’s r = 0.73–0.89). Compared to total counts, flea (combined life stages and larvae) and total ectoparasite abundance and prevalence were significantly lower with the modified Berlese funnel method. In addition, adult flea and tick prevalence (but not abundance) was significantly lower with the modified Berlese funnel method compared with total counts. The modified Berlese funnel method fails as a quantitative method and can only provide a crude indication of the incidence of ectoparasites in penguin nests.     

Behavioral and physiological responses of Diaeretiella rapae to semiochemicals

Diaeretiella rapae (M'Intosh) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitizes many aphid species, including cabbage aphids on cruciferous crops and Russian wheat aphids on cereal crops. We investigated the olfactory perception of D. rapae to semiochemicals that may be encountered in these two environments while searching for hosts or for mates. We conducted electroantennogram and flight-tunnel experiments on male and female D. rapae and found marked differences between sexes. Cruciferous volatiles elicited physiological and behavioral responses by females but not by males. Males and females responded similarly to (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, a component of green-leaf volatiles, in both electroantennogram and flight-tunnel assays. Female wasps responded similarly regardless of prior oviposition experience or population origin. Likewise, mating history and aphid presence did not increase responsiveness toward these semiochemicals.     

HOST ALTERNATION IN APHIS FABAE SCOP.

Experiments on the feeding preferences and relative fecundity of Aphis fabae among leaves of different ages and kinds were extended to the comparison of different forms of the aphid: apterous and alate virginoparae and gynoparae.
All three forms showed a preference for the primary host, Euonymus , over a secondary host, sugar beet, but this preference was strongest in the gynoparae, weaker in the alate virginoparae and weakest in the apterae. The relative fecundity of the aphids on the two kinds of leaf paralleled their feeding preferences most closely in the gynoparae, less so in the alate virginoparae and least in the apterae.
All three forms also showed some preference for growing over mature leaves of the same kind, but this preference was strongest in the apterous virginoparae, weaker in the alate virginoparae and weakest in the gynoparae. The relative fecundity of the aphids on the two ages of leaf paralleled their feeding preferences most closely in the apterae, less so in the alate virginoparae and least in the gynoparae.
The physiological, ecological and evolutionary significance of the results is discussed in the light of the dual discrimination theory of aphid host selection.     

Inter-Individual Variation and Consistency in Walking Behavior of the Rose Aphid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrosiphum rosae</Emphasis> (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Variations in morphological and behavioral properties of animals are generally considered as evolutionary adaptations to unpredictable environments. At the same time, individuals may present a strong consistency in their expressed behavior. In this study, we investigated inter-individual variations and consistency in walking behavior of both apterous and winged morphs of the rose aphid, Macrosiphum rosae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Adult apterous and winged aphids were released three times on the surface of a corn leaf cut (40 cm × 5 mm) and the time elapsed and the numbers of steps walked by individuals to go through it were recorded. Although, our results revealed a strong consistency in walking speed of both apterous and winged individual aphids, we found a wide variation in walking speed of different individuals for these morphs. These variations were predominantly associated with the differences in the number of steps walked by individual aphids, and less importantly, to their walking speed. Altogether, winged aphids walked with a higher average speed than apterous ones (42.42 vs. 38.92 cm min^?1, respectively) (P < 0.01). This may be an evolutionary adaptation of winged aphids where they should walk actively to find a suitable site for establishment after an unpredictable air-borne flight. We measured the wet body weight of apterous and winged adults to find a correlation between body weight and walking speed. Although, the winged aphids were significantly lighter than apterous ones (P < 0.01), we found no reliable data to correlate the observed variations in walking behavior of rose aphids to their body weight. The importance of this inter-individual variation in the evolutionary biology of clonal aphids has been discussed.     

Movement of apterous Sitobion avenae (Homoptera: Aphididae) in response to leaf disturbances caused by wind and rain

The effect of wind and rain on initiation of dispersal and subsequent distances moved by apterous Sitobion avenae was quantified in five laboratory experiments. Wind duration and type (steady and gusting), rain duration and intensity, and a combination of wind and rain were investigated. With increased duration of wind there was an increase in the average distance aphids moved. There was less movement when aphids were exposed to gentle gusting, than to steady wind or strong gusting. With increased duration of rain there was an increase in the proportion of aphids lost from plants. Under heavy rain, the proportion of aphids off the release plant, the distance moved by them and the proportion of aphids lost, was greater than for drizzle or light rain. When wind and rain were compared, rain had the greater impact on aphid dispersal. It was concluded that leaf disturbances caused by strong gusts of wind or large rain droplets are of considerable importance in the initiation of aphid dispersal, but that wetness alone is not.     

Behavioural Components of pheromonal aggregation in Aphis fabae Scopoli

Adult apterous A. fabae were made to walk along straight catwalks between muslin walls behind part of which other, settled aphids were confined. Individuals walking past these concealed aphids were arrested there and started to probe or turn, showing a positive taxis, inverse orthokinesis, and probably also inverse klinokinesis, all presumably in response to aphid odour. Walking aphids also responded to the visual stimulus of a black vertical stripe by turning towards it and this response was stronger than the olfactory orientation response and seemed to inhibit it. On the other hand, aphid odour enhanced the visual orientation response to the stripe.     

雷公藤粗提物毒力测定及甲素含量分析

以无水乙醇为溶剂从雷公藤根皮中提取有效成分,用高效液相色谱法分析雷公藤粗提物中甲索含量,并将雷公藤粗提物配成5％的乳油,用浸叶法和药膜法测定小菜蛾二龄幼虫、烟粉虱成虫以及无翅成蚜的室内毒力,并以几种杀虫剂作为对比。结果表明：该批雷公藤粗提物中甲素含量为0．0012％;5％雷公藤粗提物乳油对小菜蛾二龄幼虫、烟粉虱成虫以及无翅成蚜具有一定的生物活性,但与其他几种常用杀虫剂相比活性较低,还需对其进一步精制和提纯。     

微波辐射对桃蚜生长发育和繁殖的影响

【目的】研究筛选对桃蚜Myzus persicae有致死作用的安全微波频率和照射时长,以为探究新型物理防蚜技术,弥补化学防治上的缺陷提供参考依据。【方法】在暗箱中,应用微波发射仪分别发射1375, 2 750, 5 500和11 000 MHz 4个不同频率的微波照射桃蚜1日龄无翅成蚜,每个频率的照射时长分别为15, 30, 60和120 s;照射后在人工气候箱中饲养,分别于照射后8, 24, 48和72 h观察其生长发育及繁殖状况,统计桃蚜死亡率、繁殖力(累计产蚜量)及子代有翅蚜率。【结果】4个不同频率的微波分别在4个不同照射时长下,对桃蚜1日龄无翅成蚜的死亡率、繁殖力和子代翅型分化都有不同程度的影响。照射后72 h, 5 500 MHz微波照射时间为15 s时对桃蚜1日龄无翅成蚜的致死作用最强,死亡率达到55.00%,在照射时间为30和120 s时可抑制子代桃蚜向有翅蚜的分化。2 750 MHz微波照射30和60 s时促进桃蚜1日龄成蚜繁殖,照射30 s时繁殖力最强,而照射15和120 s时却表现为抑制繁殖,且2 750 MHz微波照射30 s能抑制子代桃蚜向有翅蚜分化。【结论】微波辐射能够影响桃蚜1日龄成蚜的存活、繁殖和子代翅型分化。本研究初步筛选出了对桃蚜1日龄无翅成蚜有致死作用的微波频率和照射时长。     

Patterns of diversity for aphidiine (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitoid assemblages on aphids (Homoptera)

We used aphids (Aphidae) as a representative hemimetabolous host family to investigate patterns of parasitoid (Aphidiine) assemblage size. The aphidiine assemblages from 477 aphid species were used to estimate average assemblage size and the influence of eight ecological and taxonomic variables. Aphids species support an average of 1.7 aphidiine species. Aphid subfamily and invasion status (native or exotic) were the most important determinants of parasitoid richness, explaining 28% of the deviance in aphidiine assemblage size. Aphids within the largest aphid subfamily, the Aphidinae, support larger parasitoid assemblages than those in other subfamilies. Parasitoid diversity was also highest on exotic aphid hosts (within the Aphidinae) and on hosts in developed habitats (agricultural or urban), though the latter effect is weak. Patterns related to aphid food plant architecture were influenced by an interaction with aphid invasion status; parasitoid diversity drops with increasing architectural complexity on exotic aphids, whereas the diversities on native aphid hosts are similar on different plant types. Weak effects were also found for aphid food plant alternation (whether or not aphids switch hosts seasonally) and climate (annual range in temperature); alternating aphids support more parasitoids than non-alternating hosts, and parasitoid assemblage size is lowest in warm climates. Taxonomic isolation of aphids at the generic level showed no significant relationship with parasitoid diversity. Finally, in contrast to parasitoid assemblages on holometabolous hosts, sample size effects were weak for aphids, possibly due to the narrow host ranges of aphidiines. Received: 22 November 1997 / Accepted: 7 March 1998     

田间不同品种蔬菜对萝卜蚜种群的影响(英文)

本试验通过利用５个品种蔬菜（萝卜,芥蓝,芥菜,菜芯和白菜）研究萝卜蚜（Ｌｉｐａｐｈｉｓ ｅｒｙｓｉｍｉ）在不同蔬菜上的种群动态以及对寄生于萝卜蚜的菜蚜茧蜂（Ｄｉａｅｒｅｔｉｅｌｌａ　ｒａｐａｅ）种群的影响。研究结果显示,在３０天研究期间,有翅萝卜蚜的平均虫口（蚜虫数／苗）在萝卜、芥蓝、芥菜、菜芯和白菜苗上分别为３．９１８、０．８３１、１．１４９、１．７４３和５．２３头,表明降落在萝卜苗上的有翅蚜数量显著地比在其它蔬菜苗上的高;而无翅萝卜蚜的中均虫口分别为６３．４２１、１０．０４１、２４．９２８、２３．３２３和１１４．３０８头,说明萝卜蚜无翅蚜在白菜上的种群显著地高于其它品种蔬菜上的。由于萝卜蚜在不同品种蔬菜上的种群不同,导致菜蚜茧峰种群在不同品种蔬菜上也不同,其僵蚜虫口分别为１．０５６、０．２５１、０．２７７、０．６５１和１．４４头,显示了在萝卜和白菜上的僵蚜数量显著地比其它蔬菜上的高。分析结果表明,萝卜蚜的种群（ｘ）与菜蚜茧峰的种群（ｙ）呈显著的相关关系：ｙ＝０．１１８８＋０．０１４３ｘ（ｒ＝０．９７３９）。本研究还利用试验结果提出了萝卜蚜无翅蚜种群从蔬菜在田间种植后达到防治指标（５０头／苗）的临界天数（ｃ