Evaluation of plant quality by Corythucha marmorata (Hemiptera: Tingidae) mothers: relationship between oviposition preference and nymphal performance on four sweet potato cultivars and goldenrod

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In novel plant–insect relationships, oviposition preference and nymphal performance determine host range evolution. Corythucha marmorata, native to North America and specialist on asteraceous plants, has been reported to exploit sweet potato (Convolvulaceae) in Japan. Here we examined the capability of females to oviposit and of nymphs to grow on both a conventional host (goldenrod, Solidago altissima) and novel hosts (four sweet potato cultivars), of which the test insects had virtually no experience of contact at the population level. We then tested whether female preference and offspring performance were correlated. Nymphal survival and development time were always significantly greater on goldenrod, followed by sweet potato cultivars Caroline Lea, Benisengan, Narutokintoki, and Beniazuma in that order. Female oviposition preferences showed a similar order. On higher-ranked plants, the females accepted the plant faster and had higher fecundity. When goldenrod was included in the analysis, nymphal development time and survival rate were significantly related to preoviposition period. When goldenrod was excluded, nymphal survival rate was still significantly related to preoviposition period. These results support the theory that females lay their eggs on the most suitable host to maximize offspring fitness, even though C. marmorata had no experience with sweet potato cultivars. As C. marmorata is a hemimetabolous insect, in which adults and nymphs have a similar feeding habit and exploit the same habitat, this relationship seems plausible.