Environmental Entomology (1999) 28, 173-177

Colwell A. Cook and Jonathan J. Neal (1999)
Feeding behavior of larvae of Anasa tristis (Heteroptera : Coreidae) on pumpkin and cucumber
Environmental Entomology 28 (2), 173-177
Abstract: The early development and feeding behavior of larvae of Anasa tristis (DeGeer) on cucumber, Cucumis sativus L., and pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo L., were compared. First-instar A. tristis development is similar on pumpkin, cucumber, and water alone. Second-instar A. tristis develop to 3rd instar on pumpkin but do not gain substantial weight on cucumber or water alone. Reduction in feeding is at least partly responsible and could be entirely responsible for lack of growth of 2nd-instar A. tristis on cucumber. Both initiation of feeding and feeding duration are reduced. However, 2nd-instar A. tristis can extract nutrients from plants that are not suitable for development. Feeding behavior of 2nd-instar A. tristis may reflect a balance between subsisting on available plants and moving to a suitable plant.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Anasa tristis	Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
	Anasa tristis	Squash/pumpkin (Cucurbita)