The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta, (SATP) is now a devastating pest worldwide of crops in the family Solanaceae. Most prior studies of SATP’s thermal biology were based on populations from tropical regions, and proved unsuitable for explaining its invasion of large areas of the Palearctic. A more holistic approach to the analysis of its thermal biology is essential background for developing models to assess its invasive potential. Our studies found that SATP has lower and upper thermal thresholds (θ_L = 5.37 °C and θ_U = 35.69 °C, respectively) than South American populations used in prior studies (θ_L = 7.38 °C and θ_U = 33.82 °C). Age-specific life tables were used to estimate the effects of temperature on its demographic parameters. Diapause in SATP had not been characterized prior to our study. We found facultative diapause in pupae developing from larvae exposed to relatively low temperatures (i.e., 2 and 5 °C) and short-day length for different exposure periods. The strength of diapause was measured as an increase in post-treatment developmental times of pupae (i.e., degree days) that on average were 2.45–3-fold greater than of pupae reared at favorable temperatures. A lower developmental threshold and a facultative diapause increase the invasive potential of SATP in temperate areas. Knowledge of this thermal biology is essential for predicting the potential geographic spread of this pest and to develop management and control strategies.

南美番茄蛲虫，番茄斑潜蝇，（SATP）现在在茄科作物的害虫毁灭性全世界。关于SATP的热生物学的大多数先前研究都是基于热带地区的种群，被证明不适合解释其入侵大面积的古太平洋。对于其热生物学分析而言，一种更全面的方法是开发评估其侵袭潜能的模型的必要背景。我们的研究发现，具有SATP下部和上部阈值的热（θ_大号 = 5.37℃，并且θ _ü = 35.69°C，分别地）比现有的研究中使用的南美群体（θ_大号= 7.38℃，并且θ _Ù= 33.82°C）。使用特定年龄的生命表来估算温度对其人口统计学参数的影响。在我们的研究之前，尚无SATP滞育的特征。我们发现p暴露于相对低的温度（即2和5°C）和短日长度的幼虫，在不同的暴露时期会发生兼性滞育。滞育的强度被测量为favorable的处理后发育时间的增加（即度数天），平均增加了在有利温度下饲养的p的2.45–3倍。较低的发育阈值和兼性滞育增加了SATP在温带地区的侵袭潜力。了解热生物学知识对于预测这种有害生物的潜在地理分布以及制定管理和控制策略至关重要。