Aggregation by Alatae ofToxoptera citricida(Homoptera: Aphididae)

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Abstract
The behavior of alate Toxoptera citricida (Kirkaldy) colonizing newly expanding citrus terminals (Citrus aurantium L.) was examined in greenhouse cages. Alates consistently preferred particular trees, and particular terminals, across experimental trials in which the same trees were repeatedly exposed to different groups of alates. Certain cage positions tended to recruit more alates than others, an effect attributed to positive phototaxis by the alatae. The data displayed a clumped distribution with coefficients of dispersion among trees ranging from 2.4–4.1. Frequencies deviated significantly from the Poisson distribution, with significantly more terminals than expected with ‘zero’ alates and ‘5 or more’ alates. In choice experiments, alates preferred to settle on trees infested with conspecific aphids than on uninfested trees and expressed a preference for joining alate-founded colonies over apterous-founded colonies. The adaptive significance of this behavior is discussed in the context of the aphid’s biology and ecology.

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