Abstract
The development of adequate methods for maintaining populations of arthropod organisms in the laboratory has been a challenge due to the characteristics of each species. This work has aimed to define a method for breeding Selenothrips rubrocinctus (Giard, 1901) in rose leaflets in order to study this species in the laboratory. A condition which could maintain the leaflets turgor for a longer time was sought, in order to guarantee both the survival and multiplication of the insects, and less influence of abiotic factors. Four types of substrates were tested: a) a filter paper disk moistened with distilled water covering the bottom of a Petri dish and; b) a vegetable sponge moistened with distilled water surrounding the base of the leaflet; c) a potato, dextrose and agar (BDA) in a microcentrifuge tube surrounding the base of the leaflet; and d) hydrogel in a microcentrifuge tube surrounding the base of the leaflet. The filter paper moistened with distilled water allowed 65% of the leaflets to remain turgid over a 10-day period and was the most suitable substrate for thrips breeding. With the results at hand, we described S. rubrocinctus breeding in the laboratory. The adopted methodology provided the population density stability of the bred insects, as well as the obtainment of specimens of S. rubrocinctus in quantity and quality throughout the entire period of development of studies on the biology of the species.
Highlights
The development of adequate methods for maintaining populations of arthropod organisms in the laboratory has been a challenge due to the characteristics of each species
Thrips Selenothrips rubrocinctus (Giard, 1901) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) has its origin in African origin but is found worldwide. It is a polyphagous species known as cocoa thrips or red band thrips and it is responsible for high defoliation in crops (Denmark & Wolfenbarger 2016)
Four substrates were tested: a) a filter paper disk moistened with distilled water covering the bottom of a Petri dish (10 cm x 1 cm); b) a piece of vegetable sponge moistened with distilled water surrounding the leaflet base; c) a potato, dextrose and agar (BDA) stored in a microcentrifuge tube and surrounding the leaflet base; and d) hydrogel placed in a microcentrifuge tube and surrounding the leaflet base (Fig. 1)
Summary
The development of adequate methods for maintaining populations of arthropod organisms in the laboratory has been a challenge due to the characteristics of each species. The scarcity of information about S. rubrocinctus, mainly associated with rosaceas, has strongly motivated us to establish a method for the breeding of this thrips in roses (Rosa spp.), under laboratory conditions.
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