Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2012
Lecanium cerasifex is facultatively parthenogenetic and deuterotokous whereas L. putmani is arrhenotokous. Males of both L. cerasifex and L. coryli L. failed to fertilize females of L. putmani and in all such attempted crosses the progeny were males.
In the field larvae of L. cerasifex typically settled on the lower surface of leaves and those of L. putmani on the upper surface and this behaviour was influenced by light.
In laboratory experiments L. cerasifex was photokinetic whereas the activity of L. putmani was little affected by light. Both were weakly phototactic but L. putmani appeared to show the stronger phototactic response. It was concluded that the differences in photokinetic and phototactic responses alone were sufficient to explain the location of the larvae on leaves.