TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT, MORTALITY, AND ADULT SIZE OF SWEET-POTATO WHITEFLY BIOTYPE-B (HOMOPTERA, ALEYRODIDAE) ON COTTON

The sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B, was reared on 'DES 119' and Pima 'S-6' cotton at 31 constant temperatures. Development times of eggs, nymphs, and the combined immature stages were recorded and assembled into frequency distributions at each temperature. From these data, median and mean development times and rates were derived for each life stage, as were temperature-independent distributions of normalized development times. Models describing the rate versus temperature and distributional relationships were constructed. The models can be used to predict life-stage development of populations under fluctuating temperatures. Results are compared with those of other biotypes.