Laboratory studies with 1st instar of southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) indicated that relative humidity (RH) greatly affected nymph emergence and survivorship up to the 2nd instar, reaching the maximum value (approximately 90%) with RH of > 80%. At 60% RH, 60% of the nymphs emerged and survived, while with 0% RH only approximately 15% of eggs hatched, and most nymphs died. Emerged...

Secondary reproductives develop primarily from nymphs. However, they have been rarely studied; in particular, the development of adultoid reproductives (AR) with floppy wings is still unclear. In this study, the change in juvenile hormone (JH) levels, vitellogenin gene expression, and oogenesis during the development of AR and brachypterous neotenic reproductives (BN) from the last instar nymph...

The life cycle of Pachycoris klugii on its native host, Cnidoscoulus multilobus (Euphorbiaceae), is reported in detail for the first time. Egg, nymphs, and adults are described and illustrated. Extensive variation was observed in the color pattern of adults. Maternal behavior was related to egg parasitism, habitat and host plant phenology. The tachinid fly Trichopoda pennipes was observed paras...

Psyllaephagus sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a newly recognized and important parasitoid of Cacopsylla chinensis (Yang Li) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), pest pear orchards. Its parasitism potential rearing were studied in the laboratory. The studies showed that most suitable hosts fourth- fifth-instar nymphs psyllids (C. chinensis). development duration females males was 15.25 ± 0.37 13.57 0.27 day...

The cicada Meimuna mongolica (Distant) (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) is one of the most important pests of economic forest in Guanzhong Plain of Shaanxi Province, China. Information about ecological characteristics and some sustainable control measures of this species is urgently required for its control. In this study, nymphal instars, morphological variation, vertical distribution, and population de...

Intraguild predation (IGP) takes place when natural enemies that use similar resources attack each other. The impact of IGP on biological control can be significant if the survival of natural enemy species is disrupted. In the present study, we assessed whether Geocoris punctipes (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) engages in IGP on Eretmocerus eremicus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) while developing on whitefl...

Whiteflies cause damages to many economically important agricultural crops because of their feeding habits and their begomovirus transmissions. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a genetically diverse group, which includes a large number of different biotypes (see Part I, Chapter 3). It is extremely prolific; a single female may lay approximately 400 eggs during her lifetime. Unfertilized eggs give...

Eggs and nymphs of Triatoma dimidiata were described using both light and scanning electron microscopy. The egg body and operculum have an exochorion formed by irregular juxtaposed polygonal cells; these cells are without sculpture and the majority of them are hexagonal in shape. The five instars of T. dimidiatacan be distinguished from each other by characteristics of the pre, meso and metanot...