Tupiocoris cucurbitaceus (Spinola) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a predator of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) present in several American countries. Rearing this bug requires the use of plants as ovipositional substrate and a prey to feed on to complete its development. Artemia sp. (Branchiopoda, Artemiidae) cyst, a crustacean tested for the laboratory rearing of other hemipteran species, could be used as food, being less expensive than the species commonly employed (Sitotroga cerealella [Olivier] [Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae]). The objective of the present study was to determine nymphal developmental time, nymphal mortality, fertility, and sex ratio of T. cucurbitaceus fed on Artemia sp. cysts. Three diets were used during the rearing of three generations: S. cerealella eggs, Artemia sp. cysts and a mix of both species. The nymphal developmental time (11 to 13 days), nymphal mortality (40 to 66 %), and adult fertility (74 to 101 nymphs / female) were similar for all diets. In all cases, the adults showed a high female proportion (0.67-0.97). In conclusion, Artemia sp. cysts are suitable for T. cucurbitaceus laboratory rearing at least for three generations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.