Effect of Sex and Air Temperature on the Flight Capacity of Bradysia odoriphaga (Diptera: Sciaridae)

Abstract

Bradysia odoriphaga Yang & Zhang (Diptera: Sciaridae) is an important pest of Chinese chives. Information on the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the flight performance of B. odoriphaga is crucial for understanding the pest’s ability to disperse and migrate. In this study, the effects of sex and air temperature on the flight performance of B. odoriphaga imagoes were assessed by tethering individual imagoes to computerized flight mills for a 10-h experiment. The results showed that the percentage of imagoes that flew a particular distance gradually decreased as flight distance increased. The percentage of imagoes was significantly higher for males than females when the flight distance was <300 m. Sex and air temperature significantly affected average flight time (which ranged from 14.6 to 68.3 min) and average flight distance (which ranged from 10.4 to 107.2 m), but did not significantly affect average flight speed (which ranged from 3.8 to 6.4 m/min). For both females and males, the average flight distance and flight time were shortest at 18°C and longest at 22°C; the interaction between air temperature and sex was not significant. The results suggest that B. odoriphaga has a poor potential for long-distance migration. These findings will be helpful for developing forecasting and management systems for B. odoriphaga.

Effects of Non-Lethal High-Temperature Stress on Bradysia odoriphaga (Diptera: Sciaridae) Larval Development and Offspring

“…This study found that the lifespan of unmated female adults was significantly longer than that of unmated male adults ( Figure 4E). This may relate to the poor flight ability of females [39], which requires passive acceptance of flying males for mating. Therefore, the extended lifetime of females allows males more opportunities to find them.…”

“…Therefore, the extended lifetime of females allows males more opportunities to find them. In addition, the females have a larger body and store much more energy than males [39]-another reason females can live longer than males. Females die soon after they mate and oviposit successfully, as the lifespan of mated females is significantly shorter than that of unmated females.…”