Insects (2014) 5, 783-792

Jessica Hurley, Hiroyuki Takemoto, Junji Takabayashi and Jeremy N. McNeil (2014)
Host plant volatiles and the sexual reproduction of the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae
Insects 5 (4), 783-792
Abstract: In late summer, heteroecious aphids, such as the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, move from their secondary summer host plants to primary host plants, where the sexual oviparae mate and lay diapausing eggs. We tested the hypothesis that volatiles of the primary host, Rosa rugosa, would attract the gynoparae, the parthenogenetic alate morph that produce oviparae, as well as the alate males foraging for suitable mates. In wind tunnel assays, both gynoparae and males oriented towards and reached rose cuttings significantly more often than other odour sources, including potato, a major secondary host. The response of males was as high to rose cuttings alone as to potato with a calling virgin oviparous female. These findings are discussed within the seasonal ecology of host alternating aphids.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Junji Takabayashi, Jeremy N. McNeil

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

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Macrosiphum euphorbiae	Potato (Solanum tuberosum)	Canada (east)