COMPARISON OF INTRASPECIFIC COMPETITION BETWEEN ERUPTIVE AND LATENT AUCHENORRHYCHA (HOMOPTERA) SPECIES ON RICE: SOGATELLA FURCIFERA (DELPHACIDAE) VERSUS RECILIA DORSALIS (DELTOCEPHALIDAE)*

Abstract

Abstract A comparison of the effects of intraspecific competition between the white‐backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera (Horvath) and the zigzag leaihopper (ZLH) Recilia dorsalis (Motschulsky), as representatives of eruptive and latent Auchenorrhycha (Homoptera) species on rice, was carried out in the laboratory. Crowding during the nymphal stage extended the duration of development of WBPH but not of ZLH. The nymphal survival rate of WBPH, sex ratio, preoviposition period and fecundity of both species were however not affected. The brachypterous percentage of WBPH and nymphal survival of ZLH were significantly reduced under high nymphal density. Crowding during the adult stage reduced fecundity and longevity significantly of both species. Fecundity and longevity were further reduced when combined with high densities during the nymphal stage. Age‐specific life table analysis showed that the integrated effect of crowding on ZLH is stronger than on WBPH. The mechanism of eruptive and latent species' response to crowding during nymph and adult stages is not clearly expressed as a significant difference in fecundity. It is better described as the variation in the intrinsic rate of increase (rm). Therefore the construction of an age‐specific life table is helpful, and perhaps necessary, to understand these effects. The results showed that the main ecological characteristics of ZLH, as a latent species were its longer immature period, lower total fecundity and decreased and retailed rate of oviposition, hence the lower rm, as compared with WBPH.