SAMPLING METHODS FOR PRODIPLOSIS-LONGIFILA (DIPTERA, CECIDOMYIIDAE) IN LIMES

Dispersion pattems of eggs, larvae, and adults of Prodiplosis longifila Gagne were determined for lime orchards in Dade County, Florida, during 1987 and 1989. Dispersion indices generated by Taylor's power law and Iwao's patchiness regression were compared. Taylor's power law provided a better description of variance-mean relationships for eggs, larvae, and adults than did Iwao's patchiness regression. All insect stages exhibited aggregated pattems of spatial distribution (b > 1.4). Sample size requirements for fixed levels of precision were determined for eggs and larvae using estimated variance-mean relationships obtained from Taylor's power law regressions. Color sticky traps placed on the tree canopy provided a more efficient method of sampling P. longifila populations than ground emergence traps and collection of larval samples.