Temperature but Not Photoperiod Can Predict Development and Survival of an Invasive Apple Pest

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The apple leaf-curling midge is an invasive pest of apple. The pest can pupate on fruit and contaminate fresh fruit for export, causing biosecurity problems to many uninvaded regions such as Australia, California, China, India, Japan, and Taiwan. To generate critical knowledge for effective pest risk analysis, forecast and control of this pest, we tested the effects of five temperatures and five daylengths on its development and survival and developed a thermal model for the prediction of the number of generations per year under different climate conditions. We show that temperature but not daylength influenced its development and survival. The lower pupation and emergence rates at ≥25 °C may reduce the probability of its population build-up in regions where the average maximum temperature during the summer is over 25 °C. The model developed in this study can accurately predict the number of generations per year and the time of adult emergence in each generation under different thermal locations. ABSTRACT: The apple leaf-curling midge, Dasineura mali Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an invasive pest of apple, and can contaminate fresh fruit for export, causing biosecurity problems. To provide crucial information for its pest risk analysis, forecast, and management, we investigated the effects of temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 °C) and daylengths (10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 h) on its development and survival. The midge eggs failed to hatch at 5 °C and larvae could not complete development at 10 °C. Pupation and emergence rates were significantly higher at 20 °C than at 15 °C and 25 °C. Daylength had no effect on these parameters. The low temperature threshold and thermal requirement to complete development from eggs to adults were 3.7 °C and 627 degree-days, respectively. The midge had a significantly lower thermal requirement for the completion of its lifecycle at 20 °C (614.5 degree-days) than at 15 °C (650.1 degree-days) and 25 °C (634.8 degree-days). The thermal model developed in this study provided accurate predictions of the number of D. mali generations and adult emergence time in each generation in different regions of New Zealand. We suggest that the model could be used to predict population dynamics of this pest in other parts of the world.