Evidence for trichromacy in the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulz.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract

The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is an important phytophagous pest of greenhouse and field crops. In the host finding process visual cues are of paramount importance. In order to contribute to the understanding of the perception of visual stimuli in this species, we measured the electroretinogram of alate female summer migrants of M. persicae. The spectral sensitivity was measured in 10 nm steps under both dark and light adaptation from 320 to 640 nm. The dark adapted spectral sensitivity curve showed one maximum in the green region around 530 nm and a distinct shoulder between 500 and 510 nm. In presence of adapting light, a secondary blue–green peak (490 nm) and a third peak in the near UV (330–340 nm) were observed. From these results we conclude that M. persicae has three spectral types of photoreceptors.