| The testing behavior and test probing which are a part of host-plant acceptance behavior were studied in P. manihoti. Attention was focused on the testing behavior of three plants of the Manihot genus (Incoza, M'Pembé and Faux-caoutchouc) and a weed of the cassava fields (Talinum). This enabled us not only to characterize the associated behavior but also to show that the mealybug is able to distinguish between different host plants when walking on the leaf. The video description of the test probing of first- and fourth-instar larvae on M'Pembé and on the Faux-caoutchouc shows that the succession of the phases is similar. After a first phase characterized by the repeated intervention of the mealybug sensorial organs, a second phase, more mechanical, with... |
