Hj. Vlug et P. Harrewijn, ANALYSIS OF GUT CONTENTS AND FEEDING-BEHAVIOR OF TIPULID LARVAE (DIPTERA, TIPULIDAE) USING A NEW ROOT-STAINING TECHNIQUE, Journal of economic entomology, 87(1), 1994, pp. 101-102
To determine whether first-instar Tipula oleracea L. preferentially fe
ed on either grass roots or leaves, we developed a differential staini
ng technique for grass roots. A 0.15% aqueous solution of trypan-blue
stained the root-system of ryegrass sufficiently to identify root tiss
ue in the gut system of leatherjackets. It did not stain leaf tissue o
f the same plants. Using stained grass plants, it was shown that young
larvae of T. oleracea in grasslands preferentially feed on leaf tissu
e and not on root tissue as previously assumed.