Effects of Temperature on the Development and Reproduction of Thrips hawaiiensis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

Environmental temperature has a significant impact on insect behavior. The present study aimed to determine the effects of temperature on the development, survival, and reproduction of Thrips hawaiiensis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), an important flower-inhabiting thrips. These effects were evaluated at five constant temperatures (18, 21, 24, 27, and 30°C) on thrips reared in the laboratory on excised Gardenia jasminoides flowers. The developmental durations of egg, first instar, second instar, prepupa, pupa, and the entire immature stages were shortened in response to a temperature increase from 18 to 30°C. The highest generational survival rate was at 27°C (75.00%), whereas the lowest was at 18°C (46.00%). The minimum threshold and effective accumulated temperatures for completing a generation of T. hawaiiensis were 7.62°C and 171.26 degree-days, respectively. The highest fecundity (95.80) was at 27°C, but it was not significantly different than at 24°C (84.72) or 30°C (84.32). The highest oviposition rate of 5.57 eggs per female per day occurred at 27°C, which was significantly higher than at any other temperature. Both the highest intrinsic rate of increase, at 0.200, and net reproduction rate, at 44.97, for T. hawaiiensis were observed at 27°C, whereas the lowest values of 0.114 and 25.56, respectively, were observed at 18°C. These results suggest that T. hawaiiensis is well adapted to temperate conditions, with an optimal temperature range for development of 24 to 30°C, with the most suitable temperature for both development and reproduction being 27°C.