BIOLOGY AND MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTERS REARED ON COWPEA

• Author(s): Jones, Walker; S?tamou, Mamoudou;
• Abstract: Stage specific survival, growth, developmental biology, and morphometric analysis of individual glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca coagulata (Say), were studied in the laboratory at 27 + 1 C, 65 + 5 RH and 14:10 L:D photoperiod regime, on excised cowpea leaves and stems. Embryonic development of eggs was completed in 7.1 days with 92.6% of the eggs incubated being fertile. The total nymphal period for females (61 + 3.0 days) was significantly longer than that of males (53 + 1.5 days). Significant differences were observed between the duration of the 5 nymphal stages, with the 2nd being the shortest and the last (5th) the longest for both sexes. Stage specific mortality was similar between instars, about 36.4% of the nymphs reached adult stage, and adult sex ratio was not different from a 1:1 ratio. Based on a cohort of 15 pairs, analysis of life table parameters indicated that populations of H. coagulata increased at a rate of 1.045 per day and doubled within 15.6 days. Biometric data comprising body length, head capsule width and hind tibia length were recorded on a total of 276 individuals. The different growth stages were well described by the three biometric parameters. However, analysis of frequency distribution showed that head capsule width was the most suitable parameter for distinguishing the immature developmental stages of GWSS.
• Publication Date: Dec 2004
• Journal: 2004 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium