The Spatiotemporal Distribution, Abundance, and Seasonal Dynamics of Cotton-Infesting Aphids in the Southern U.S.

Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) is an emerging aphid-borne pathogen infecting cotton, L., in the southern United States (U.S.). The cotton aphid, Glover, infests cotton annually and is the only known vector to transmit CLRDV to cotton. Seven other species have been reported to feed on, but not often infest, cotton: Thomas, Koch, Scopoli, Thomas, Sulzer, Sasaki, and Westwood. These seven have not been studied in cotton, but due to their potential epidemiological importance, an understanding of the intra- and inter-annual variations of these species is needed. In 2020 and 2021, aphids were monitored from North Carolina to Texas using pan traps around cotton fields. All of the species known to infest cotton, excluding , were detected in this study. and were the most abundant species identified. The five other species of aphids captured were consistently low throughout the study and, with the exception of , were not detected at all locations. The abundance, distribution, and seasonal dynamics of cotton-infesting aphids across the southern U.S. are discussed.