Flight Behavior of Aphids

Abstract

These small homopterans are one of the most varied, fascinating, and studied groups of insects, even though they are one of the degenerates of the modern insect world (lOS). The intense interest in aphids is exemplified by a recent review on the ecology of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, which cited 638 references (55). This is only a partial list of the available literature. The fascination of the aphid lies in part in its polymorphism (86). The variations of aphids are well known, for they alternate hosts with hosts, sexual with pathenogenetic forms, hibernating with aestivating forms, wingless with winged forms, and migrant with nonmigrant forms. And all of this variation may sometimes occur within the annual cycle of a single species as it does in the melon aphid, Aphis gossypii (117,203). The small size of aphids and their variability qualify them as excellent material for biological research. Their tremendous reproductive potential, salivary secretions, and ability to transmit virus diseases also gain them the dubious honor of being one of the most potent and world-wide enemies of agricultural crops. Since the infestations and virus diseases (20, 21, 33, 47, 139, 185, 201) are spread between geographical and political areas by the winged aphids, the behavior of flying aphids is of academic, economic, and review interest. Several excellent reviews are already available on aphids. These cover the biology (lOS), polymorphism (86), feeding and nutrition (7), the im­ pact of pathog�ns, parasites and predators on them (67), their role in the ecology of plant viruses (201), the ecology of the green peach aphid (55), and the ecological aspects of plant virus transmissions (23). Generalizations are difficult to make about aphids because, as such, they must encompass the behavior of countless individuals of a large number of diverse species. Over 430 aphid species are recorded from the state of New York (131, 132).831 species in Central Europe (l09). and. in 1953, an esti­ mated number of 2690 species for the world (109). Despite the warnings of other writers (14) against generalizations and oversimplification, this re­ view does both. Only the flight behavior of the black bean aphid (Aphis fabae) has been studied in detail on a world-wide basis. A considerable amount of informa-