A new artifical membrane apparatus for tobacco whitefly oviposition.

A typical artificial membrane system was constructed using one-ounce clear styrene cups,30-40 mm in diameter from top to bottom and 35 mm in height.The top of one cup(40 mm in diameter)was covered with a stretched piece of Parafilm.Approximately 5 mL of media(20% sterile sucrose or other solution)was pipetted onto this inner membrane.The surface of the media was then covered with a second piece of thinly stretched(5-8 μm)Parafilm M(outer membrane),or only a piece of thinly stretched(5-8 μm)Parafilm M(outer membrane).The fully assembled membrane cup was inverted over a 40 mm hole in the top of a cage contained with emerging or young whitefly adults.Females were lured to the membrane surface by covering the inverted cup assembly with yellow cellophane.This apparatus was artificially used for oviposition of tobacco whitefly,and the egg development and the physical mechanisms of egg development were investigated.