Applied Entomology and Zoology (2018) 53, 493-499
Konstantina A. Arvaniti, Argyro A. Fantinou and Dionysios Ch. Perdikis (2018)
Plant and supplementary food sources effect the development of Dicyphus errans (Hemiptera: Miridae)
Applied Entomology and Zoology 53 (4), 493-499
Abstract: Dicyphus errans (Wolff) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is an omnivorous predator of several pests attacking tomato and other vegetable crops. The nymphal development of D. errans was studied in the presence of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs with or without a water source and in the presence of a leaf of cucumber, eggplant or tomato supplemented with variable food types (E. kuehniella eggs, Artemia sp. cysts, pollen or milk powder) or without the provision of any food. Water provision was found to be essential for the completion of nymphal development even when animal food was offered to predators. When nymphs foraged on leaves in the absence of any food type, development was significantly more favoured on eggplant and cucumber than on tomato. E. kuehniella eggs and Artemia sp. cysts enhanced development of D. errans in comparison to milk powder and pollen. Development and female weight were improved when the food types were offered to the nymphs on a plant leaf than when were provided together with only water. This study contributes to understanding the importance of water vs. plant feeding for the development of D. errans and reveals implications for its mass rearing and application in biological control.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Dionyssios Ch. Perdikis, Argyro A. Fantinou
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
rearing/culturing/mass production
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dicyphus errans (predator) |
