TETHERED FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF MALE AND FEMALE PEAR PSYLLA (HOMOPTERA, PSYLLIDAE) - COMPARISON OF PRE-REPRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE INSECTS

In tethered flight experiments, female winterform pear psylla (Cacopsy lla pyricola Foerster) exhibited longer mean flight durations and a hi gher frequency of long duration flights (> 15 min) than did males. Pre -reproductive psylla (collected from the field in mid-winter) exhibite d longer duration flights than did psylla collected from the same orch ard after egg-laying had commenced. Flight durations decreased with co nsecutive Flights. Although tibia length and wing size were larger for females than males, there was no evidence within sexes or collection dates that body size and flight duration were correlated.