How to translate text using browser tools
1 July 2002 Settling of Crawlers of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on Five Vegetable Hosts
Alvin M. Simmons
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The nymphal stage of whitefly pests is important in terms of its relationship to pest management measures and virus epidemiology. Among the nymphal forms, the active first instar, i.e., crawler, is the only mobile form of immature whiteflies. A study was conducted to determine any influence of vegetable plant species and temperature on net distance moved (between the egg site and final resting site) by crawlers of the B-biotype sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). Tests were conducted in the greenhouse and under controlled laboratory conditions on five vegetable hosts: cantaloupe, Cucumis melo L.; collard, Brassica oleracea ssp. acephala de Condolle; cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walpers; pepper, Capsicum annuum L.; and tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Miller. The net distance moved was shortest on collard in which the crawler ceased traveling ≈2 mm from where it hatched. The crawler ceased traveling ≈10–15 mm from the site of hatching on the other vegetable host plants. Observations on collard in the laboratory indicate that the crawlers traveled 21 min during the first stadium. No effect of constant temperature over the temperature range of 16–34°C was detected on the net travel distance of the crawlers. These data suggest that among the plant species in this study, collard is highly attractive for feeding and/or it offers suitable feeding sites that are easy to locate by the crawler. The results of this study help define the behavior of crawlers on several host plants.

Alvin M. Simmons "Settling of Crawlers of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on Five Vegetable Hosts," Annals of the Entomological Society of America 95(4), 464-468, (1 July 2002). https://doi.org/10.1603/0013-8746(2002)095[0464:SOCOBT]2.0.CO;2
Received: 2 January 2002; Accepted: 1 March 2002; Published: 1 July 2002
JOURNAL ARTICLE
5 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
behavior
Bemisia argentifolii
Bemisia tabaci
crawler
vegetable
whitefly
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top