Color Stimuli and Oviposition Behavior of the Onion Fly, Delia antiqua (Meigen) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)1

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Abstract
When presented with oviposition dishes containing a range of colored surrogate onion stems, Delia antiqua (Meigen) laid the most eggs around yellow stems. Response to yellow was elicited by hue and saturation, rather than brightness, and was reduced when either white or black was added to yellow. Differences in egg numbers on stimulatory and nonstimulatory colors reflected differences in preoviposition behaviors. Alighting on stems, stem walks, and probing with the ovipositor occurred more frequently on yellow than on blue or gray stems. The effect of yellow on post-alighting behaviors was independent of its effect on alighting. After alighting on a yellow stem, females performed three times more stem walks than on blue or gray stems and were twice as likely to probe with their ovipositors after a stem walk. Thus, color is one of the diverse variables influencing alighting and post-alighting preoviposition behavior of D. antiqua.

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