Seasonal Dynamics of Egg Diapause in Mahanarva Spectabilis (Distant, 1909) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) on Elephant Grass

Abstract

This work examines the occurrence, duration and viability of diapause eggs of Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant, 1909) at different periods of the year. Adult insects were gathered twice a month in a greenhouse from September 2005 to May 2006 as well as in the same period in 2006-2007. The spittlebugs collected were taken to the laboratory, sexed and kept in cages containing one elephant grass plant potted in a 500 mL plastic cup with the upper part wrapped in gauze to serve as a substrate for egg laying. Around one hundred eggs obtained on each sample date were kept in climate-controlled chambers. The duration and viability of the eggs were analyzed daily. The viability was greater than 50% and 72%, respectively, in the evaluations for September 2005 to May 2006 and the same period of 2006-2007. The average embryonic period from September 2005 the first half of March 2006 varied from 15.79 to 28.24 days, except in the first half of January. In the other samples it varied from 94.80 to 139.04 days, with these being considered diapause. In the second study period (2006-2007), an embryonic period under 27 days was registered from September to the first half of November 2006 and again in January and February 2007. In the other evaluations the insects remained in the egg phase from 55.30 to 196.42 days. The largest number of diapause eggs occurred in the autumn, with 100% and 90% for the first and second evaluation periods, respectively.

Laboratory rearing of Abidama liuensis (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) and description of immature stages

“…2), and most eggs that were viable at the end stage S2 subsequently hatched. Diapause in the egg stage is reported in many spittlebugs, such as Deois fl avopicta (Stål, 1854) (Sujii et al, 2001, Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant, 1909) (Auad et al, 2011 and C. versicolor (Chen & Liang, 2012). Sujii et al (2001) increased the synchronization of hatching and reduced the duration of the egg stage in D. fl avopicta by lowering the overnight temperature.…”

Proteins from eggs of the spittlebug Mahanarva spectabilis (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) reveal clues about its diapause regulation

“…Embryogenic development in the eggs passes through four different phases (named as S1 to S4) where each phase has specific attributes such as appearance of the hatching line (S1), operculum black in color becoming evident (S2), exposure of the black surface of the operculum (S3) and embryo exhibiting red ocelli and abdominal spots (S4) (Peck, 2002). Under normal conditions in Brazil, the development of M. spectabilis egg takes about 20 days (Auad and Carvalho, 2009;Auad et al, 2011). However, environmental conditions are not always optimal for egg development and survival.…”

“…For instance, nymphs and adults are most frequently observed in the field during the rainy season (Valério, 2009). During the dry season the survival of M. spectabilis eggs requires a mechanism known as diapause (Valério, 2009;Auad et al, 2011), which is a process where the development is delayed, cell division is slowed or stopped and stress tolerance is enhanced (King and MacRae, 2015). As a consequence, the organism enters in a physiological condition that allows its survival under unfavorable conditions.…”

The Damage Capacity ofMahanarva spectabilis(Distant, 1909) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) Adults onBrachiaria ruziziensisPasture

“…Spittlebugs from the genus Mahanarva (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) cause serious damage in pastures and threaten meat production by compromising the forage supply [ 4 , 5 ]. They have been reported in several regions and are widely distributed in south and central America [ 6 ].…”