The optimal defense theory stipulates that a plant prioritizes the defense of young tissue against herbivory, which may affect the spatial distribution of the attacking insect and its impact on plant performance. In this study, we evaluated the feeding and oviposition site preferences of the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso, 1813) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), when comparing different parts of the canopy of two coffee varieties as well as its fertility and life history parameters. We evaluated the feeding preference, oviposition site choice, and the distribution of different development stages of P. citri on different strata (apical, median, base, and trunk regions) of two coffee varieties, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, as well as the associated variations in life history parameters and fertility. The citrus mealybug preferred to feed and oviposit on young leaves despite the presence of high levels of defense compounds. On average, more than 38% of P. citri preferred the apical leaves of cv. Coffea arabica compared to the other parts of the plant. However, in cv. C. canephora, the proportion that preferred the apical leaves was greater than 55%. The net reproduction rate (R0) and the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of P. citri reared on C. canephora were significantly higher than those seen on C. arabica. The generation time (T) of P. citri reared on C. arabica was significantly longer than that observed on C. canephora. The estimated population growth rate of mealybugs on C. canephora varieties over 15 generations was more than twice that of the population on C. arabica. The dispersion ability and choice of the most nutritious plant strata by nymphs and adults on coffee plants are fundamental to the fitness of these mealybugs. Mealybugs showed a distinct preference for C. canephora.
Keywords: Planococcus citri; coffee plant; preference and canopy strata; spatial distribution.