Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (1997) 83, 147-159

S.P. Foster, A.J. Howard and M.O. Harris (1997)
The influence of tactile and other non-chemical factors on the ovipositional responses of the generalist herbivore Epiphyas postvittana
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 83 (2), 147-159
Abstract: A bioassay to test the ovipositional responses of the generalist herbivore, Epiphyas postvittana, was developed, and various non-chemical factors that influenced the laying, and number of eggs laid, by females were tested. In choice experiments using various models, surface texture was found to be an important factor influencing ovipositional behaviour, with females preferring to lay on smoother rather than rougher surfaces. Another surface texture feature that influenced oviposition was a raised wax ridge on a smooth surface. The wax ridge stimulated more eggs to be laid within close proximity to the ridge. Observations of females showed that the increased numbers of eggs laid on models with a wax ridge resulted not from increased landing, time spent, or numbers of eggs laid per ovipositional bout, but rather through an increased probability of ovipositing after landing on models with a wax ridge compared to models without the ridge. Spatial features of the models were also found to influence egglaying by females. Females showed a tendency to lay on the upper rather than the lower surface of models, although this appeared to depend upon how stimulatory the upper surface of the model was. Females also laid more eggs on models with a dense array of leaves than on models with a more spread-out array.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Steve Paul Foster

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Epiphyas postvittana		New Zealand