Bionomics, morphometrics and molecular characterization of a cassava Bemisia afer (Priesner & Hosny) population

Maruthi, M.N., Navaneethan, S., Colvin, John and Hillocks, Rory (2004) Bionomics, morphometrics and molecular characterization of a cassava Bemisia afer (Priesner & Hosny) population. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , 24 (4). pp. 323-329. ISSN 1742-7584 EISSN: 1742-7592

Abstract

Bionomics, morphometric measurements and partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (mtCOI) sequences were examined for a population of Bemisia afer (Priesner & Hosny) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) collected from cassava in Uganda. The development of the eggs, first to fourth instar nymphs and adults required respectively, 12, 31 and 10 days, with a total life duration of approximately 53 days on the cassava cultivar Ebwanateraka. Each female laid one egg per day for 13 days and about 40% of the eggs failed to develop into adults. The male: female sex ratio was 1:4. The length and width of the four nymphal instars were positively correlated (correlation coefficient=0.97). Females were bigger than males and the sexes differed significantly based on body length (P<0.001) and width (P<0.001). Overlaps in their body sizes, however, makes sex assignment based on size alone unreliable. The B. afer population shared 68% mtCOI sequence (817 nucleotides) identity with a cassava Bemisia tabaci population (Namulonge) from Uganda. This is the first study on B. afer fecundity and morphometrics, and the variability that might exist in this species is discussed.

Actions (login required)