Data from: Intraspecific variations in life history traits of two pecky rice bug species from Japan: mapping emergence dates and number of annual generations

The mirid bugs Stenotus rubrovittatus and Trigonotylus caelestialium,
which cause pecky rice, have become a threat to rice cultivation in Asia.
Damage caused by these pests has rapidly become frequent since around 2000
in Japan. Their expansion pattern is not simple, and predicting their
future spread remains challenging. Some insects with wide ranges have
locally adapted variations in life-history traits. We performed laboratory
rearing experiments to assess the geographical scale of intraspecific
variations in life-history traits of S. rubrovittatus and T.
caelestialium. The experiments were aimed at increasing the accuracy of
occurrence estimates and the number of generations per year. These results
were compared with previous research, and differences in development rates
were observed between populations of different latitudes, but not of the
same latitude. Finally, plotting the timing of adult emergence and the
potential number of generations per year on maps with a 5-km grid revealed
that they differed greatly locally at the same latitude. These maps can be
used for developing more efficient methods of managing mirid bugs in
integrated pest management.