A “walker” tool to place Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) adults at predetermined sites for bioassays of behavior in citrus (Sapindales: Rutaceae) trees

Authors

  • Emily A. Pregmon United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA
  • Sylvia Lujo United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA
  • Kayla Norton United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA
  • Ethan Hartman United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA
  • B. Rohde University of Florida, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
  • Nina Zagvazdina United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA
  • R. W. Mankin United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA

Keywords:

phototaxis, jumping plant lice, handling disturbance

Abstract

A “walker” tool was developed to assist successful placement of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) adults at predetermined sites on citrus (Sapindales: Rutaceae) trees in behavioral bioassays. Use of the walker resulted in a significantly higher proportion of successful placements and a significantly lower number of jumps away from the predetermined site compared with the use of a brush, although on average it required an additional 108 s more than the 41 s required with the brush to complete a successful placement. Females and males performed similarly with both devices. Potentially, the walker is a useful placement tool under conditions where it is time and labor intensive to provide large numbers of insects with specific physiological characteristics for testing, e.g., when it is difficult to supply large numbers of D. citri adults of known sex, mating status, and age. Because phototaxis is commonly observed in psyllids, the walker may be of use also for bioassays with other economic pests such as Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae).

 

Sumario

Una herramienta de “andador “ fue desarrollado para ayudar a la colocación exitosa de adultos de Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) en sitios predeterminados sobre árboles cítricos (Sapindales: Rutaceae) en bioensayos de comportamiento. El uso del andador resultó en una proporción significativamente mayor de las colocaciones con éxito y una significativamente menor número de saltos de distancia desde el sitio predeterminado en comparación con el uso de un cepillo, aunque en promedio se requiere un adicional de 108 segundos más que los 41 segundos necesarios con el cepillar para completar una colocación exitosa. Las hembras y los machos actuaron de manera similar con ambos aparatos. Potencialmente, el andador una herramienta útil de colocación en condiciones en las que es tiempo y mano de obra para proporcionar un gran número de insectos con características fisiológicas específicas para las pruebas, por ejemplo, cuando es difícil suplir grandes cantidades de adultos de D. citri de sexo conocido, el estado del apareamiento, y la edad. Debido que se observa el fototaxis comúnmente en los psílidos, el andador puede ser de utíl también para los bioensayos con otras plagas económicas tales como el Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae).

 

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Author Biographies

B. Rohde, University of Florida, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

R. W. Mankin, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA

Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research

Research Entomologist

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Published

2016-03-29

Issue

Vol. 99, No. 2 (June 2016)

Section

Scientific Notes

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