Bulletin of Entomological Research (1988) 78, 673-682

Garrick McDonald and A. Mark Smith (1988)
Phenological development and seasonal distribution of the Rutherglen, bug, Nysius vinitor Bergroth (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), on various hosts in Victoria, south-eastern Australia
Bulletin of Entomological Research 78 (4), 673-682
Abstract: Populations of Nysius vinitor Bergroth were studied from 1979 to 1982 in two weed hosts, Arctotheca calendula and Polygonum aviculare, and eight irrigated sunflower crops in a summer cropping area of northern Victoria, Australia. The spring generation began with the adults colonizing flowering A. calendula plants in September and concluded with the rapid development of late stage nymphs and an exodus of adults from these plants from mid-November to December. Gradual invasion of sunflowers occurred mostly in late December and reached a peak at flowering, after which nymphs appeared. P. aviculare attracted adults from February and hosted a number of overlapping generations until winter. The weed sustained diminishing numbers of adults through the winter, except in 1982, when a further generation produced an early spring peak. Immigrant populations were regarded as a common source of adults for initiating the spring and summer generations. The rate of development of N. vinitor in spring was more rapid than that predicted by phenological simulation based on ambient temperatures and laboratory-derived day-degree estimates. This was attributed to increased body temperatures through absorption of solar radiation, and the simulation model was adjusted by increasing daily minimum and maximum temperatures by 1.3 and 5.5°C for young and older instars, respectively. This suggested that older nymphs have lower developmental thresholds or are better able to optimize body temperatures.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Polygonum aviculare (weed)		Australia (South+SE)
	Arctotheca calendula (weed)		Australia (South+SE)
	Nysius vinitor		Australia (South+SE)