1999 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 435-442
Fundatrix populations of the aphid Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum were studied for 4 years on an observation plot of the goldenrod Solidago altissima. Oviposition sites were not restricted to goldenrod rosettes. The feeding site of hatched larvae was the bundle of unstretched leaves which was located at the center of the goldenrod rosette. Due to underestimation of the egg population, the mortality of hatched larvae before their arrival at the feeding site could not be calculated. Mobile form-fundatrix populations consisting of larvae and adults gradually decreased during the period to about 40% of the maximum. During that period diurnal natural enemies were inactive. The spatial distribution of mobile form-fundatrix populations was contagious. The contagiousness was maintained by inter-plant movement and a tendency for aggregation in larvae and adults.
