![Mean number of eggs per clutch of Thaumastocoris peregrinus maintained on leaves from different eucalyptus species and hybrids. [Temperature 26±1°C, 60±10% r.h., 12-h photophase; Botucatu, SP, Brazil, 2010]](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Everton-Soliman/publication/232729090/figure/fig1/AS:300453565878279@1448645120682/Mean-number-of-eggs-per-clutch-of-Thaumastocoris-peregrinus-maintained-on-leaves-from_Q320.jpg)
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Biology of Thaumastocoris peregrinus in different eucalyptus
species and hybrids
Everton Pires Soliman &Carlos F. Wilcken &
Jaqueline M. Pereira &Thaíse K. R. Dias &
Bruno Zaché &Mário H. F. A. Dal Pogetto &
Leonardo R. Barbosa
Received: 18 September 2011 /Accepted: 25 February 2012 /Published online: 21 March 2012
# Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012
Abstract ThebronzebugThaumastocoris peregrinus
Carpintero & Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae),
originating in Australia, has been rapidly spreading in
eucalyptus plantations in the Southern Hemisphere, in-
cluding South Africa, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Uruguay,
Paraguay and Chile. In Brazil, it was detected in 2008 in
the states of Sao Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. Due to
incomplete knowledge about the biology of this pest, the
present study evaluated the bioecology of T. pe regr inus
in different eucalyptus species and hybrids. The genetic
materials utilized were: Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E.
urophylla,E. grandis,‘1277’(Hybrid E. grandis x
camaldulensis—HGC), ‘VM-1’(Hybrid E. urophylla x
camaldulensis—HUC) and ‘H-13’(Hybrid E. urophylla
xgrandis—HUG). The experiment was conducted in a
climate-controlled chamber at a temperature of 26 ± 1°C,
r.h . 070% ± 10% and 12 h photophase. The biology of
different genotypes indicated that the species E. uro-
phylla and E. grandis are the most suitable for the
development and reproduction of T. peregrinus, although
all treatments enabled the bronze bug to develop and
produce descendants. T. pere grinus developed and repro-
duced in the principal vegetal materials planted in the
southern, central-west and northeastern regions of Brazil,
constituting a potentially damaging insect pest to euca-
lyptus plantations.
Keywords Bronze bug .Development .Exotic pests
Introduction
The recent increase in international trade, mainly of
vegetal products, has generated concern due to the pos-
sibility of threats by introducing exotic pests (Dias
2000). In this context, eucalyptus forests have been
seriously threatened by exotic invasive pests in the last
two decades (Wingfield et al. 2001;2008).
When attacked by insects, forest plantations can suffer
a significant reduction in the quantity and quality of wood
produced (Candy et al. 1992;Ohmart1990; Shepherd
1994; Zobel et al. 1987). In recent years some exotic
species have compromised Brazilian plantations, such as
the redgum lerp psyllid. In 2008, the eucalyptus bronze
bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero and Dellapé
2006 (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae), was detected in
Brazil (Wilcken et al. 2010).
The damage caused by T. pe regr i n us to eucalyptus
trees includes silvering chlorosis followed by the bronz-
ing and drying of leaves. These symptoms occur due to
the bug’s feeding habit, which punctures the leaves and
Phytoparasitica (2012) 40:223–230
DOI 10.1007/s12600-012-0226-4
E. P. Soliman (*):C. F. Wilcken :J. M. Pereira :
T. K. R. Dias :B. Zaché :M. H. F. A. Dal Pogetto
Department of Vegetable Production of the São Paulo State
University (UNESP),
Campus of Botucatu 18603-970 SP, Brazil
e-mail: everton_pires@hotmail.com
L. R. Barbosa
EMBRAPA Forestry,
Colombo, PR, Brazil
twigs to suck the sap, leaving them chlorotic (Button
2007; Wilcken et al. 2008;2010).
The hemipterans from the family Thaumastocoridae
correspond to small phytophagous bugs (Carpintero and
Dellapé 2006; Jacobs and Neser 2005). Biological data
on insects in the Thaumastocoridae family are scarce
(Cassis et al. 1999). Most of the studies have been of
species of the subfamily Xylastodorinae, which occurs
in South America feeding on palms (Noack and Rose
2007). Recently Noack et al. (2011)publishedasys-
tematic revision of Thaumastocoris and described nine
new species.
Some biological parameters of species of the Thau-
mastocorinae and Xylastodorinae subfamilies were
studied over the years (Couturier et al.2002; Drake
and Slater 1957;Hill1988;Kumar1963;Slater1973).
The first study of the biology of the genus Thaumasto-
coris was conducted by Noack and Rose (2007), but it
was performed at variable temperatures on the species
Eucalyptus scoparia, for use in urban forestry and isless
representative than the species used in large forest plan-
tations of South America.
Knowledge of the biological aspects of T. pe regr i n us
constitutes a basic and essential tool for developing
strategies for monitoring and control. In this context
the present study aimed to determine the biological
development of T. peregrinus in different eucalyptus
species and hybrids planted in Brazil.
Materials and methods
The study was conducted under laboratory conditions.
The species and hybrids of eucalyptus used in the ex-
periment were provided by the forest species arboretum,
situated in an experimental area of the School of Agro-
nomic Sciences—UNESP—Campus of Botucatu. The
collected leaves were transported to the laboratory,
cleaned in running water, dried, and cut in discs of
3.2 cm diam with a hole-puncher.
The eucalyptus species and hybrids used were E.
camaldulensis,E. urophylla,E. grandis, and the follow-
ing clones: ‘1277’(Hybrid E. grandis xcamaldulensis—
HGC), ‘VM-1’(Hybrid E. urophylla xcamaldulensis—
HUC) and ‘H-13’(Hybrid E. urophylla xgrandis—
HUG).
The study was initiated utilizing eggs collected in the
field, and methodology adapted from Firmino-Winckler
et al. (2009), but with several modifications due to
peculiarities of T. peregrinus. The leaves, containing
the egg masses, were cut and placed in petri dishes
15 cm in diam, on a leaf of the eucalyptus species to
be tested. Through daily observations the newly hatched
nymphs were transferred to the assay, for a total of 100
nymphs per treatment. The experiment was carried out
in a climate-controlled chamber with a temperature of
26±1°C, 12-h photophase and 60± 10% r.h.
Nymph phase Newly hatched nymphs were placed
singly on a eucalyptus leaf disc 3.2 cm in diam, placed
in a petri dish 3.5 cm in diam containing a slide of
distilled water used to maintain leaf turgor. The dishes
were placed in plastic trays 26 cm long x 17 cm wide x
13 cm high, covered with a perforated lid and lined
with voile tissue for aeration. Every 2 days the insects
were transferred to a new leaf and observed daily
under a stereoscopic microscope. The duration and
viability of instars were evaluated.
Adult phase The newly emerged adults were sexed and
paired to obtain clutches. The couples were maintained
on petri dishes 6.2 cm in diam with perforated lids, re-
covered with a 50% plastic screen containing eucalyptus
leaf discs (3.2 cm in diam) on water-retaining gel diluted
at 1 g of gel per 400 ml of distilled water. The leaf discs
were changed when the females oviposited or when they
were resected. Based on the behavior of the species in
laying eggs on irregular surfaces in a natural environ-
ment and on the facility in evaluations, a double-faced
tape containing filter paper on its exterior face was
utilized for counting eggs laid. This procedure enabled
oviposition by the females onto the center of the leaf to
facilitate the evaluation and reduce the losses of eggs
that had been laid on the edge of the leaf disc in contact
with water. The evaluations were performed daily
throughout the lifespan of the adults to determine: pre-
oviposition period, daily and total oviposition, and lon-
gevity of the males and females.
Egg phase During the daily observation of the pairs, the
egg masses obtained were separated and maintained on
a leaf disc in a petri dish 3.5 cm in diam (similar to those
utilized in the nymph phase) to determine the incubation
period and egg viability.
Statistical analysis The experiment was conducted uti-
lizing a completely randomized delineation, with the
treatments represented by six eucalyptus genotypes, with
224 Phytoparasitica (2012) 40:223–230
Table 1 Average duration (D, in days) and viability (V, in%), of Thaumastocoris peregrinus instars and nymph stage reared in different eucalyptus genotypes (temperature 26± 1°C;
60± 10% r.h.; 12-h photophase)
Parameter evaluated Treatment C.V.
y
(%)
E. urophylla E. camaldulensis E. grandis ‘H-13’(HUG) ‘1277’(HGC) ‘VM-1’(HUC)
Dn
z
VD nVD nVD nVD nVD nV
first instar 3.34 bc
x
99 99 3.13 ab 100 100 2.96 a 100 100 3.32 bc 100 100 3.53 c 100 100 3.07 ab 99 99 13.59
second instar 2.71 b 83 83.8 2.87 bc 97 97 2.65 b 95 95 2.96 c 98 98 2.29 a 97 97 2.82 bc 98 99 16.77
third instar 2.50 a 82 98.8 2.84 bc 97 100 2.59 ab 91 95.8 2.47 a 98 100 2.89 c 96 99 2.27 a 96 98 19.97
fourth instar 2.95 b 77 93.9 3.03 b 94 96.9 2.85 b 88 96.7 3.02 b 96 98 2.41 a 92 95.8 2.94 b 96 100 14.07
fifth instar 4.17 a 76 98.7 4.70 b 88 93.6 4.75 b 87 98.9 4.25 a 96 100 4.23 a 91 98.9 4.27 a 93 96.9 11.27
Nymph stage 15.59 ab 76 76 16.56 d 88 88 15.80 bc 87 87 16.02 c 96 96 15.34 a 91 91 15.37 ab 93 93 4.76
Nymph stage—Male 15.61 a A 38 –16.33 c A 43 –15.72 ab A 43 –16.04 bc A 48 –15.28 a A 47 –15.46 a A 46 –4.68
Nymph stage—Female 15.56 abc A 38 –16.78 d B 45 –15.89 bc A 44 –16.00 c A 48 –15.41 ab A 44 –15.27 a A 48 –4.78
z
n0number of insects
y
Coefficient of variation
x
Means followed by a common lower-case letter (on a line) or the same upper-case letter (within a column) do not differ from each other by the Kruskal-Wallis test (P≤0.05)
Phytoparasitica (2012) 40:223–230 225
100 repetitions (nymph phase). The data were submitted
to analysis of variance and the means compared by the
Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test (P≤0.05).
Results
Nymph phase The bronze bug nymphs have a body
flattened dorsoventrally and a hind wing visible from
the fourth instar, with significant growth during the
fifth instar.
The mean duration of first instar presented a differ-
ence between the extreme values observed, varying from
2.96 days for E. grandis to 3.53 days for clone ‘1277’
(HGC). For the other genotypes no significant differ-
ences were observed (Table 1). In general, the minimum
duration was 2 days, registered in E. urophylla,E.
camaldulensis and E. grandis,whereasthemaximum
was 5 days—in E. urophylla and clone ‘H-13’(HUG).
The shorter mean duration of the second instar was
verified in clone ‘1277’, which was statistically distinct
from clone ‘H-13’, with the results obtained in the other
genotypes evaluated being considered intermediate. In
the third and fourth nymph stages, only clone ‘1277’
differed from the other treatments, tending toward a
longer and shorter duration, respectively (Table 1).
When compared with the mean duration of earlier
instars, the fifth instar was relatively prolonged in all
treatments. The longer mean durations were obtained in
E. grandis and E. camaldulensis, and were significantly
distinct from the other treatments (Table 1).
The duration of nymph period of T. peregrinus,
from the hatching of the egg until the emergence of
the adult, varied from 14 to 20 days for the different
eucalyptus genotypes. The mean duration in the E.
camaldulensis nymph stage was different from all
other treatments. On the other hand, clone ‘1277’
had the shortest mean duration (Table 1).
The mean nymph period among males was longer in
E. camaldulensis, and differed from the other treatments
with the exception of clone ‘H-13’. Among the females,
the longest nymph period was also in E. camaldulensis,
and differed significantly from the others. The females
obtained in the clones ‘VM-1’,‘1277’and E. urophylla
had the fastest nymph development, of 15.27, 15.41 and
15.56 days, respectively (Table 1).
The lowest nymph viability, after the five instars,
was observed among the nymphs maintained in E.
urophylla (76%) and the highest among nymphs of
clone ‘H-13’(96%); the other treatments exhibited
viabilities between 87% and 93%. The nymph viabil-
ity of all treatments was greater than 75%.
Adult phase The adults have brownish coloration, with
the females and males able to be sexed through ventral
observation of the lower part of the abdomen, where the
males possess a genital capsule that opens to the right
from a ventral perspective. The females are typically
larger than the males, with a round abdomen, in contrast
to the males—that possess a narrow abdomen. Martinez
and Bianchi (2010) and Noack et al. (2011) describe and
provide details of sexual dimorphism.
The sexual proportion was approximately 1:1 (male:
female), as observed in E. urophylla and in the clone
‘H-13’. Only in the clone ‘1277’was the number of
males higher than that of females, whereas in the other
treatments the number of females was slightly greater
(Table 2).
The pre-oviposition period was determined from the
emergence date of the females until the laying of the first
egg. The shortest period was verified in E. grandis,and
there were no significant differences among E. urophylla,
‘H-13’and ‘1277’. Nevertheless, females maintained in
E. camaldulensis had the longest period for oviposition
initiation, followed by ‘VM-1’(HUC) (Table 3).
The greatest egg production per female was ob-
served in E. grandis and E. urophylla (Table 3). The
mean number of viable eggs per female indicates the
true reproductive capacity, which is allied with the
number of descendants generated. In this manner, E.
urophylla and E. grandis differed significantly from
the other materials tested (Table 3).
Table 2 Number of males and females and M:F ratio of Thau-
mastocoris peregrinus maintained on leaves of different euca-
lyptus species and hybrids (temperature 26±1°C; 60 ± 10% r.h.;
12-h photophase; Botucatu, SP, 2010)
Treatment Frequency M : F n
z
Male Female
E. urophylla 38 38 1.00 76
E. camaldulensis 43 45 0.96 88
E. grandis 43 44 0.98 87
H-13 (urograndis) 48 48 1.00 96
1277 (gracam) 47 44 1.07 91
VM-1 (urocam) 46 48 0.96 94
z
n0number of insects
226 Phytoparasitica (2012) 40:223–230
The mean reproduction values under all the treat-
ments reveal that the number of eggs per clutch was
relatively greater at the beginning of the evaluations
and subsequently decreased. The highest number of
eggs per clutch was nine for E. urophylla followed by
eight in E. grandis,‘H-13’and ‘1277’, and seven in E.
camaldulensis and ‘VM-1’.
Regarding the number of surviving females (n), egg
production for the clone ‘VM-1’peaked between the first
and fifth clutches (n027) and at the 22nd clutch (n02); in
clone ‘1277’it peaked at the sixth and ninth clutches
(n014); in ‘H-13’at the 3rd clutch (n042); in E. grandis
from the second until the 17th clutch (n041) and after the
34thclutch(n02); E urophylla from the 16th to 22nd
clutches (n024); and E. camaldulensis only at the begin-
ning, around the third clutch (n045) (Fig. 1).
The average male longevity was extremely re-
duced in the clone ‘1277’, and the males fed E.
urophylla had the longest period, with no differ-
ence among the other treatments (Table 3). The
mean female longevity was greater in eucalyptus
species (E. urophylla,E. camaldulensis and E.
grandis)thanintheclones(‘H-13’,‘1277’and
‘VM-1’)(
T
able3). The longevity of males and
females showed no significant difference except
for clone ‘1277’. On average, all the males had a
longer lifespan than the females (Table 3).
The mean longevity of adults varied from 4 to
78 days among the eucalyptus genotypes tested. For
mean total longevity of males and females, the clone
‘1277’had the shortest and E. urophylla had the
longest duration (Table 3).
Table 3 Mean duration of pre-oviposition and longevity (D, in days), and number of eggs (Q) of Thaumastocoris peregrinus raised on
different eucalyptus genotypes (temperature 26±1°C; 60 ± 10% r.h.; 12-h photophase; Botucatu, SP, 2010)
Parameter evaluated Treatment C.V
y
(%)
E. urophylla E. camaldulensis E. grandis ‘H-13’(HUG) ‘1277’(HGC) ‘VM-1’(HUC)
D/Q n
z
D/Q n D/Q n D/Q n D/Q n D/Q n
Pre-oviposition 6.58 ab
x
36 10.53 c 36 5.49 a 41 6.47 ab 43 6.56 ab 27 8.17 bc 36 31.86
Eggs/female 71.75 b 36 23.00 a 36 75.00 b 41 25.42 a 43 30.93 a 27 23.28 a 36 63.80
Viable eggs/female 64.36 b 36 19.33 a 36 63.66 b 41 22.30 a 43 28.96 a 25 19.94 a 36 65.60
Adult longevity 42.08 d 76 32.63 cd 88 35.36 cd 87 27.25 b 96 14.30 a 91 25.52 b 93 49.58
Longevity—male 51.78 c A 38 36.07 b A 43 39.67 b A 43 40.06 b A 48 15.66 a A 47 34.11 b A 46 41.55
Longevity—female 32.17 b B 38 29.33 b B 45 31.14 b B 44 14.44 a B 48 12.86 a A 44 17.08 a B 48 38.35
z
n0number of insects
y
Coefficient of variation
x
Means followed by a common lower-case letter (on the line) or the same upper-case letter (within a column) do not differ from each
other by the Kruskal-Wallis test (P≤0.05)
Fig. 1 Mean number of
eggs per clutch of Thau-
mastocoris peregrinus
maintained on leaves from
different eucalyptus species
and hybrids. [Temperature
26± 1°C, 60 ± 10% r.h.,
12-h photophase; Botucatu,
SP, Brazil, 2010]
Phytoparasitica (2012) 40:223–230 227
Total lifespan The lifespan of T. peregrinus was de-
termined starting from the hatching of the nymph until
the adult death. Under the different treatments the total
lifespan of males varied from 19 to 99 days, and was
longer than that of females. The total cycle of males
was longer in E. urophylla than in the others, particu-
larly the clone ‘1277’(Table 4). The total cycle of
females, in all treatments, varied from 19 to 77 days.
Egg phase The eggs possess a round flat form, and
when recently laid they have a bright black color, with
a slight depression in the center, shifting to opaque
black with an elevated depression in the center after
the hatching of the nymph. A nymph hatches from the
egg by the operculum, which opens like a lid. In some
eggs, even after the nymphs have hatched, the oper-
culum is not prominent and apparently the egg was
closed; but it is easily removed with a small brush or
air jet.
The incubation period was analyzed from the laying
of the egg clutch until the nymph hatching. This period
varied from 4 to 9 days for the different eucalyptus
genotypes but in clones ‘1277’and ‘H-13’no egg
hatched in fewer than 4 days or more than 9 days,
respectively. The average period of incubation was more
rapid in ‘VM-1’, and slower in ‘1277’(Table 5).
The mean egg viability was obtained by calculating
the difference between the total number of eggs laid
and the total number of nymphs hatched. E. urophylla
and clone ‘H-13’provided the highest viability and E.
camaldulensis the lowest (Table 5).
The females maintained in E. grandis laid the most
eggs, and E. camaldulensis the least (Table 5).
Discussion
Nymph phase The nymphs possessed red eyes, a char-
acteristic also observed in Discocoris drakei (Couturier
et al. 2002), antennae with final antennomers darker
than the rest of the antenna, similar to Martinez and
Bianchi’s(2010) observation, and a round red spot at
the center of the primary uromeres of the abdomen.
The nymph phase of T. peregrinus had five instars,
similar to the findings of Noack and Rose (2007), and
the same number as observed in other Thaumastocor-
idae such as Thaumastocoris petilus Drake and Slater,
Baclozygum brachypterum Slater (Slater 1973)and
Discocoris drakei (Couturier et al. 2002), in addition
to other hemipterans of forestry importance, including
Leptopharsa heveae (Tingidae), a pest in rubber trees
(Cividanes et al. 2004).
Noack and Rose (2007) obtained the highest average
of 4.6 days for the duration of the first instar at a
temperature varying from 17° to 20°C in Eucalyptus
scoparia. The mean durations of the first and final
instars were longer than those of the intermediate
instars, results similar to those obtained by Noack and
Rose (2007)inE. scoparia at variable temperatures.
The mean duration of the nymph period for all the
materials tested was 15.8 days, superior to that reported
by Firmino-Winckler et al.(2009)forGlycaspis brim-
blecombei (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) of 15.1 days but less
Table 5 Incubation period and viability of Thaumastocoris per-
egrinus eggs maintained on leaves of different eucalyptus species
and hybrids (temperature 26± 1°C; 60± 10% r.h.; 12-h photophase;
Botucatu, SP, 2010)
Treatment Incubation
period (days)
N° of eggs
hatched
N° of
fenales
Viability
(%)
E.urophylla 6.32 2317 36 89.7
E. camaldulensis 6.12 699 36 84.4
E. grandis 6.31 2610 41 84.9
‘H-13’(HUG) 6.19 959 43 87.7
‘1277’(HGC) 6.45 724 25 86.7
‘VM-1’(HUC) 5.98 718 36 85.7
Table 4 Total cycle duration of males, females and total (days)
of Thaumastocoris peregrinus) maintained on leaves of different
eucalyptus species and hybrids (temperature 26± 1°C; 60 ± 10%
r.h.; 12-h photophase; Botucatu, SP, 2010)
Treatment Total cycle (days)
Male n
z
Female n Total n
E.urophylla 67.39 c
y
38 47.72 b 38 57.67 c 76
E. camaldulensis 52.40 b 43 46.11 b 45 49.18 c 88
E. grandis 55.40 b 43 47.02 b 44 51.16 c 87
‘H-13’(HUG) 56.10 b 48 30.44 a 48 43.27 b 96
‘1277’(HGC) 30.94 a 47 28.27 a 44 29.64 a 91
‘VM-1’(HUC) 49.57 b 46 32.35 a 48 40.88 b 93
C. V.
x
(%) 27.42 21.70 30.83
z
n0number of insects
y
Within columns, numbers followed by the same lower-case
letter do not differ from each other by the Kruskal-Wallis test
(P≤0.05)
x
Coefficient of variation
228 Phytoparasitica (2012) 40:223–230
than the 20 days obtained for T. pe regr inus by Noack
and Rose (2007).
The sexes differed significantly in mean duration of
nymph period only among the males and females fed
E. camaldulensis (Table 1).
In E. urophylla the phase most susceptible to mor-
tality was the second instar, but in E. camaldulensis
the critical period occurred in the fifth instar (Table 1).
In the other genotypes utilized in the assay the mor-
tality was distributed in all nymph stages, contrary to
Noack and Rose (2007) who observed the first nymph
stage as the most sensitive to mortality. This difference
is probably related to the methodology employed.
Adult phase The mean pre-oviposition period obtained
by Noack and Rose (2007) was 8.5 days, similar only to
the ‘VM-1’treatment.
The number of eggs produced by the female indicates
an elevated capacity for reproduction, but in the exper-
imental conditions it was verified that the true reproduc-
tive capacity was inferior since a portion of the eggs
were infertile. The elevated number of eggs produced by
Thaumastocoridae, according to Kumar (1963), is due
to the physiological capacity of the females, since they
possess two ovaries with three ovarioles each.
Hill and Schaefer (2000) reported that Baclozygum
depressum females laid an average of 1.25 eggs per day
whereas Crosa (2008) emphasizes that each T. peregrinus
female lays a daily mean of 2 eggs, but in the species
studied by us this value was much higher (Fig. 1).
The total egg production per female obtained by
Noack and Rose (2007) was 45.5, higher than the levels
observed in the clones ‘1277’,‘VM-1’and ‘H-13’and in
E. camaldulensis, but females of the species B. depres-
sum can lay up to 80 eggs (Hill and Schaefer 2000).
The longevity of males reported by Noack and Rose
(2007) ranged from 2 to 38 days, with a mean of 16 days,
a finding similar to that of clone ‘1277’(Table 3). For
Xylastodoris luteolus,alsobelongingtothesubfamily
Thaumastocorinae, the longevity of adults varies from
23 to 37 days (Hill and Schaefer 2000).
Noack and Rose (2007) found a mean longevity of
15 days in E. scoparia, similar to the average values
observed in the hybrids of the present study (Table 3). In
general, all the males had a longer life cycle than the
females (Table 3), which may be an inherent character-
istic of the species or, according to de Queiroz and
Milward-de-Azevedo (1991), may be due to reproduc-
tive stress.
Lifespan duration In the eucalyptus species studied,
the duration of the adult phase lasted longer than in the
clones. Crosa (2008) verified that the longevity of
females was approximately 30 days, slightly greater
than the duration of approximately 20 days reported
by Noack and Rose (2007), but in the latter work the
temperature varied from 17
o
to 20°C.
The data obtained suggest the possibility that T. pe r-
egrinus males maintained principally on three species,
E. grandis,E. urophylla and E. camaldulensis,could
mate with females emerging from the second genera-
tion, given that the egg incubation and nymph periods
were approximately 6 and 15 days, respectively.
Egg phase The eggs of T. peregrinus are black
(Jacobs and Neser 2005) and relatively large in rela-
tion to the size of the female, as observed in other
species of the subfamily Thaumastocorinae such as
Discocoris drakei Slater & Ashlock (Couturier et al.
2002) and Xylastodorus luteolus (Hill 1988; Hill and
Schaefer 2000).
In the field, females of T. peregrinus lay eggs together,
forming great egg masses (Jacobs and Neser 2005;
Wilcken et al. 2010); and in Brazil the clutch was verified
principally on irregular surfaces, suggesting thigmotro-
pism. These irregular surfaces can be present on euca-
lyptus fruit, branches, stems or leaves. In the leaves the
clutches are found near the main vein, on leaf limb
deformations or at locations close to the egg clutches of
other insects such as the redgum lerp psyllid G. brimble-
combei, and associated with eggs laid by other T. pe re-
grinus females. In the present article, this thigmotropism
hypothesis was proven by using the oviposition director
placed on the leaf offered in the adult phase.
The eggs viability in all treatments was higher
than 80%, in contrast to the data of Noack and
Rose (2007), who obtained only 19% viability in
E. scoparia. This difference may be due to the
experimental conditions, mainly by maintaining
the eggs in plates with high relative humidity.
However, other causes could be the use of differ-
ent eucalyptus species than other authors.
In conclusion, species and hybrid clones of eucalyp-
tus affect the longevity and reproductive capacity of T.
peregrinus;E. urophylla and E. grandis are the species
most suitable for the development and reproduction of T.
peregrinus; and the bronze bug reproduces and generates
fertile descendants in the genetic base of the predominant
eucalyptus plantations in Brazil.
Phytoparasitica (2012) 40:223–230 229
Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to CAPES, CNPq
and IPEF for financial aid, and to the researchers Gonzalo
Martinez (Uruguay) and Ann Noack (Australia) who assisted
by sending bibliographic material on T. peregrinus.
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