Escape Behavior of Dalbulus and Baldulus Leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae)

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Abstract
Differences in escape behavior were observed in the laboratory among six Dalbulus spp. and the closely related Baldulus tripsaci . Escape behavior is defined as sudden movement—e.g., flight—of insects from their hosts in response to external stimuli, such as mechanical jarring of the host plant. D. elimatus, D. maidis, D. guevarai , and D. gelbus were most responsive to the mechanical stimulus. D. elimatus and D. maidis are principally maize and teosinte host specific, whereas D. guevarai and D. gelbus utilize maize and Tripsacum spp. as hosts. D. tripsacoides, B. tripsaci , and D. quinquenotatus were the least responsive to the mechanical stimulus and are Tripsacum specialists. Except for B. tripsaci and D. quinquenotatus , males of species tested were more responsive than females. Five geographical populations of D. maidis were tested for escape response. Populations from Brazil and Mexico, where maize is grown seasonally, were more responsive than D. maidis taken from Peru, Costa Rica, and Colombia, where maize is grown continuously. Males were more responsive than females for all D. maidis geographical populations tested. Escape behavior is discussed with respect to predation, to trivial and migratory flights, and to risks involved with escape by flight.