Zur Nahrungsaufnahme vonMegoura viciae Buckt., einer phloemsaugenden Aphide (Homoptera, Rhynchota)

Summary

Problems connected with the food uptake of the aphidMegoura viciae Buckt., sucking in the phloem ofVicia faba, are studied by means of radioactive phosphate.

Outside the phloem there is no intake of food by the stylets of the aphid. They are able to reach the phloem earliest 7 min after the beginning of the puncture. But only 3 h later all aphids have reached the phloem. The variability in time taken to reach the phloem is very high. The aphids seem not to be able to aim at the phloem, presumable this process is more or less incidentally. In plants, which do not belong to the host plants ofMegoura viciae, the aphid also pierces the phloem. Perhaps the aphids first in the phloem find out their host plant. The course of the ingestion of food is studied in relation to the time of sucking and shown in a diagram.