Biological parameters and fertility life table of Aphis spiraecola Patch, 1914 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on different hosts

Host plants are one of the main factors that can affect biological aspects, development, fecundity, and behavior in aphids. However, studies on the reproductive potential of Aphis spiraecola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on different hosts are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the population growth and the preference for feeding of A. spiraecola in Capsicum frutescens , Polyscias scutellaria and species of the genus Eucalyptus ( E. brassiana and E. urophylla ), and to verify if the parameters of biology and population of the aphid A. spiraecola are influenced by different host species. In relation to the instantaneous rate of population growth, the highest growth values were observed on C. frutescens and P. scutellaria , differing statistically from E. urophylla . Among the different species of Eucalyptus , however, there was no difference in population growth. Regarding host preference, it was observed that P. scutellaria was preferred by A. spiraecola . The different hosts affected the nymph development of A. spiraecola , in which the shortest periods of development were observed on E. urophylla and C. frutescens and the longest on E. brassiana and P. scutellaria . The host plants P. scutellaria and C. frutescens did not affect the average interval between generations, the intrinsic growth rate, the finite growth rate. However, the net rate of reproduction and life expectancy varied according to the host. Given the above, we can better understand the interactions between A. spiraecola and its hosts.