Electronically monitored stylet penetration pathway of woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Homoptera: Aphididae), on apple (Malus domestica)

Abstract

The probing behaviour of woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Homoptera: Aphididae), was monitored on woody tissues of the susceptible apple (Malus domestica) cultivar ‘Royal Gala’, using the Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG) technique. The stylet penetration pathway of the probing aphid was studied by analysing the waveforms of different patterns and voltage levels. The waveforms A, B, C, G, E1, and E2 were recorded from E. lanigerum and have known correlations with probing events of aphid species that feed on soft plant tissues. The differences in frequencies and relative amplitude of A and E1 waveforms are discussed in relation to the probing behaviour of woolly apple aphid on woody plant tissues. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.