Journal of Insect Behavior (1995) 8, 687-700

David R. Horton and Tamera M. Lewis (1995)
Interplant movement by pear psylla (Homoptera: Psyllidae): Effects of sex ratio and reproductive status
Journal of Insect Behavior 8 (5), 687-700
Abstract: Sticky trap catch of pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola Foerster, is male biased during the reproductive generations, but not the diapausing generation. In cage studies, we monitored movement by male and female pear psylla between host plants, and tested whether reproductive and diapausing psylla exhibit similar rates of movement. We also experimentally varied sex ratio to determine whether sex ratio affected movement. Male-biased sex ratios prompted increased movement off of the original host by male psylla of the reproductive generations; no such effect was noted for diapausing insects. We interpret these results to indicate that male movements increased under male-biased conditions due to mate-searching activities. There was also evidence in two experiments that severely male-biased sex ratios prompted movement off of the original host plant by reproductive females; this effect may have been due to harassment of ovipositing females by males.
(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): David R. Horton

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.
	Cacopsylla pyricola