Field studies on colour preferences of Ctenarytaina thysanura in Tasmanian boronia farms

Abstract

Field tests on attraction of Ctenarytaina thysanura (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) adults to different coloured 30 × 30 cm sticky traps revealed a preference for yellow. Among the enamel colours tested, more psyllids were captured on yellow traps followed by green, then blue and least on red, cyan and magenta. Dilution of yellow enamel with 50% white (1Y:1W) and 75% white (1Y:3W) to produce yellow‐white hues resulted in a significant decrease in psyllid capture indicating that the psyllids response to yellow was one of positive attraction and could suggest true colour discrimination. Reflectance spectra of painted surfaces of the enamel colours and also yellow to white hues indicated that psyllid capture rates were directly related to the proportion of light reflected in the 500–560 nm region. The biological basis of the observed C. thysanura response may be that yellow is the most intensely reflective colour in the general part of the spectrum for leaves which reflect most light in the 500–600 nm (peak 550 nm) range.

Related but not alike: not all Hemiptera are attracted to yellow

“…Moreover, similar species-specific differences in color preferences have been shown to occur in aphids (Moericke, 1969; A'brook, 1973; Kieckhefer et al, 1976) and curiously, according to season (Moericke, 1955a;Prokopy and Owens, 1983;Ramirez et al, 2008). Our results are consistent with field studies in which higher catches of psyllids were obtained using yellow and green sticky traps (Mensah and Madden, 1992;Brennan and Weinbaum, 2001;Al-Jabr and Cranshaw, 2007;Hall et al, 2010). The current findings also complement lab studies that have shown that olfactory responses to host plant volatiles are enhanced when experienced in conjunction with green or yellow stimuli (Wenninger et al, 2009;Patt et al, 2011).…”

“…This is mostly due to the fact that psyllids, like aphids, are presumed to be responsive to yellow-green (Mensah and Madden, 1992;Brennan and Weinbaum, 2001;Al-Jabr and Cranshaw, 2007;Hall et al, 2010), and therefore research has concentrated more on their olfactory responses (Valterovà et al, 1997;Soroker et al, 2004;Gross and Mekonen, 2005;Mayer et al, 2008;Patt and Sétamou, 2010). However, as in aphids, psyllids exhibit only weak chemotactic responses in the absence of visual cues (Hodkinson, 1974;Wenninger et al, 2009;Patt et al, 2011) and seem to possess an even less developed olfactory apparatuswhich may only operate in host alternating species.…”

Evaluation of Coloured Sticky Traps for Monitoring Populations of Austroasca viridigrisea (Paoli) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) on Cotton Farms

“…Yellow therefore acts as a supernormal stimulus for foliage to many phytophagous insects because it elicits a greater alighting response than colours more closely resembling preferred hosts (Prokopy and Owens 1983). In studies on colour response of aphids, Mooney and Gulmon (1 982) noted that increased responsiveness to yellow aids some aphids in finding young, expanding leaves that are high in Per cent total reflected light emitted in 500-600 nm region Adams and Los 1989) and yellow sticky traps have been used to monitor flight activity and populations of hemipterans (Todd et al 1990;Meyerdirk and Moreno 1984;Summy et al 1986;Adams et al 1983;Meyerdirk and Oldfield 1985;Ridgway and Mahr 1986;Adams and Los 1989;Mensah and Madden 1992). My study has shown that there was no difference in A .…”

“…viridigrisea adults respond is essential to the development of more effective trapping techniques to reliably estimate the adult numbers and flight phenology for use in control programs. Coloured traps have been used to monitor populations of many phytophagous insects in field crops (Ridgway and Mahr 1986;Mensah and Madden 1992). The responses of hemipterans to colour have been extensively studied, with most species strongly attracted to green and yellow (Ridgway and Mahr 1986;Adams and Los 1989;Mensah and Madden 1992).…”

“…Coloured traps have been used to monitor populations of many phytophagous insects in field crops (Ridgway and Mahr 1986;Mensah and Madden 1992). The responses of hemipterans to colour have been extensively studied, with most species strongly attracted to green and yellow (Ridgway and Mahr 1986;Adams and Los 1989;Mensah and Madden 1992). However, apart from studies by Alverson et al (1977) and Meyerdirk and Oldfield (1985) who evaluated the effectiveness of colour traps in monitoring leafhopper populations, studies on colour responses of leafhoppers are rare, and the few studies that have been conducted have focused on host finding behaviour of leafhoppers (Todd et al 1990).…”