Verification of the Presence of Male and Oviparous Morphs of the Cotton Aphid in Mid-South Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Abstract

Samples of Aphis gossypii from 'DES 119' cotton in Mississippi in November 1988 consisted of 4 oviparae, 2 males and 1 winged female. Sexuales were also identified in collections of the aphid from different host plants which are housed in the National Collection of Insects. It had been reported previously that A. gossypii reproduced only parthenogenetically in the cotton belt of the USA. The implications of sexual reproduction in A. gossypii, rather than the exclusive production of genetically identical clones, in relation to insecticide resistance in mid-south cotton is briefly discussed.