Effects of High Temperature on the Development of Laodelphax striatellus (Homoptera : Delphacidae) and on Its Intracellular Yeastlike Symbiotes

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Abstract
L. striatellus harbors intracellular yeast-like symbiotes in the fat body, transmitting them to the next generation through the female ovary. High temperature, 35.degree. C, destroyed the yeast-like symbiotes in the mycetocytes. Under the continuous high temperature no adults were obtained. The population of symbiotes in the 5th instar nymphs, previously exposed to the high temperature for 3 days after hatching (heat treatment), was reduced to approximately 1/20 of that in the normal 5th-instar nymphs. These heat-treated insects showed poor growth in spite of sufficient sucking of rice plant juice. More than 70% of the heat-treated 5th-instar nymphys did not become adults and a number of them died. In some of the adult cuticle was not deposited or only deposited in part. The high temperature exerted an influence on fecundity of this species. The heat-treated insects seem useful for the further study of the role of the yeast-like symbiotes.