Oecologia (1998) 115, 287-292
Jason P. Harmon, John E. Losey and A.R. Ives (1998)
The role of vision and color in the close proximity foraging behavior of four coccinellid species
Oecologia 115 (1-2), 287-292
Abstract: The role of vision and color in close-proximity foraging behavior was investigated for four species of lady beetles: Coccinella septempunctata, Hippodamia convergens, Harmonia axyridis, and Coleomegilla maculata. The effect of light level and color cues on consumption rates varied among the four predator species. The consumption rates of these predators on the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) was measured under light and dark conditions. C. septempunctata, H. convergens, and Ha. axyridis consumed significantly more aphids in the light than in the dark, while the consumption rate of Col. maculata was not affected by light level. Foraging ability was also measured on red and green color morphs of the pea aphid on red, green, and white backgrounds. C. septempunctata consumed significantly more of the aphid morph that contrasted with the background color, and showed no difference between morphs on the white background. H. axyridis consumed significantly more red morph aphids regardless of background. The remaining two species showed no difference in consumption rates on the two color morphs. The variation in the use of visual cues demonstrates how different species of predators can exhibit different foraging behaviors when searching for the same prey.
(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): Jason P. Harmon, John E. Losey, Anthony R. Ives
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acyrthosiphon pisum | ||||
| Coccinella septempunctata (predator) | Acyrthosiphon pisum | |||
| Harmonia axyridis (predator) | Acyrthosiphon pisum | |||
| Coleomegilla maculata (predator) | Acyrthosiphon pisum | |||
| Hippodamia convergens (predator) | Acyrthosiphon pisum |
