The brown planthopper (Nilapavata lugens: BPH) and whitebacked planthopper (Sogatella furcifera: WBPH) co-occur as the principal pests of rice in Asia. A review of previous studies suggests that the two species have similar temperature tolerances and similar temperature thresholds for development. However, the distribution and seasonality of WBPH suggest that its temperature optima for performance (survival, oviposition and growth) may be lower than for BPH. We compared adult longevity, oviposition, nymph survival and development success, as well as nymph biomass in both species across a gradient of constant temperatures from 15°C-40°C, at 5°C intervals. The most suitable temperatures for oviposition, nymph biomass and development success were 5–10°C lower for WBPH than for BPH. Furthermore, compared to BPH, WBPH demonstrated clear differences in oviposition on different rice subspecies and on rice at different growth stages at 25°C and 30°C, but not at other temperatures. The results suggest that aspects of herbivore performance within tolerable temperature ranges, which are not often included in temperature models, may be more useful than thermal tolerances or development thresholds in predicting the effects of global warming on pest damage to crops.

褐飞虱（ Nilapavata lugens ：BPH）和白背飞虱（ Sogatellafurcifera ：WBPH）是亚洲水稻的主要害虫。对先前研究的回顾表明，这两个物种具有相似的温度耐受性和相似的发育温度阈值。然而，白斑飞虱的分布和季节性表明其性能（生存、产卵和生长）的最适温度可能低于褐飞虱。我们比较了两个物种的成虫寿命、产卵、若虫存活和发育成功率，以及在 15°C-40°C 恒定温度梯度（间隔 5°C）下的若虫生物量。 WBPH 产卵、若虫生物量和发育成功的最适宜温度比 BPH 低 5-10°C。此外，与褐飞虱相比，白飞虱在25°C和30°C下对不同水稻亚种和不同生长阶段的水稻产卵表现出明显差异，但在其他温度下则没有差异。结果表明，草食动物在可耐受温度范围内的表现（通常不包括在温度模型中）在预测全球变暖对农作物害虫损害的影响方面可能比热耐受性或发育阈值更有用。