Mating behavior of Pseudococcus calceolariae and Pseudococcus longispinus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae): are asexual reproduction and hybridization possible?

ABSTRACT: The study of insect reproduction is important from both basic and applied perspectives, particularly in mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), because of the diversity of reproduction modes and also because they are important agricultural pests. Sex pheromone control strategies are currently being developed for many species. Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) and Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti) are closely related species that often coexist in the same host plant. In this study, mating behavior, the possible occurrence of asexual reproduction, and hybridization between them were investigated. We confirmed that both species did not show asexual reproduction and required the presence of a male to reproduce. When couples of the same species were put together, males had a highly

SUBMITTER: Ballesteros C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10416559 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature