In novel plant–insect relationships, oviposition preference and nymphal performance determine host range evolution. Corythucha marmorata, native to North America and specialist on asteraceous plants, has been reported to exploit sweet potato (Convolvulaceae) in Japan. Here we examined the capability of females to oviposit and of nymphs to grow on both a conventional host (goldenrod, Solidago altissima) and novel hosts (four sweet potato cultivars), of which the test insects had virtually no experience of contact at the population level. We then tested whether female preference and offspring performance were correlated. Nymphal survival and development time were always significantly greater on goldenrod, followed by sweet potato cultivars Caroline Lea, Benisengan, Narutokintoki, and Beniazuma in that order. Female oviposition preferences showed a similar order. On higher-ranked plants, the females accepted the plant faster and had higher fecundity. When goldenrod was included in the analysis, nymphal development time and survival rate were significantly related to preoviposition period. When goldenrod was excluded, nymphal survival rate was still significantly related to preoviposition period. These results support the theory that females lay their eggs on the most suitable host to maximize offspring fitness, even though C. marmorata had no experience with sweet potato cultivars. As C. marmorata is a hemimetabolous insect, in which adults and nymphs have a similar feeding habit and exploit the same habitat, this relationship seems plausible.

中文翻译：

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桑树番荔枝（Hemiptera：Tingidae）母亲对植物品质的评估：四个甘薯品种和菊科植物产卵偏好与若虫表现之间的关系

在新颖的植物-昆虫关系中，产卵偏好和若虫表现决定宿主范围的进化。据报道，原产于北美的菊苣菜（Corythucha marmorata）是日本菊科植物的专家，他们在日本开发甘薯（旋花科）。在这里，我们研究了雌性在传统寄主（金毛,、Solidago altissima）上的排卵能力和若虫的生长能力。）和新型寄主（四个甘薯品种），其中测试昆虫在种群水平上几乎没有接触经验。然后，我们测试了女性偏好与后代表现是否相关。在菊科植物上，若虫的存活和发育时间总是显着增加，其次依次是甘薯品种卡罗琳·利，贝尼森甘，纳鲁托金托基和贝尼阿祖玛。女性的排卵偏好表现出相似的顺序。在等级较高的植物上，雌性接受植物的速度更快，繁殖力更高。当将菊科植物纳入分析时，若虫的发育时间和成活率与产卵前期显着相关。当排除菊科植物时，若虫的存活率仍与早产期显着相关。C. marmorata没有甘薯品种的经验。作为C. marmorata是hemimetabolous昆虫，其中成虫和若虫具有相似的摄食习性和利用相同的栖息地，这个关系似乎合理的。