The predation of Chrysoperla carnea (Neurop., Chrysopidae) on eggs and larvae of Mamestra brassicae (Lep., Noctuidae)

Abstract

In the present study the predation rate of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) on eggs and larvae of the lepidopterous species Mamestra brassicae (L.) was investigated including the prey's influence on survival and development. The experiments were done at 20 ± 1°C and L:D = 16:8. C. carnea larvae were fed on eggs and first instar larvae of M. brassicae, respectively. In both cases the daily predation rate of C. carnea increased slowly during the two first instars and reached a peak in the third larval instar. During the third instar 87% and 85% of the total numbers of M. brassicae eggs and larvae, respectively, were consumed. C. carnea preyed on a mean total of 312 M. brassicae eggs and 232 M. brassicae larvae during its larval development. The mean daily predation rate of C. carnea reached a maximum of 106.6 eggs of M. brassicae and 46.1 larvae of M. brassicae. C. carnea consumed a total of 32 mg of M. brassicae eggs and 70 mg of M. brassicae larvae during its larval development. The developmental time of C. carnea fed on M. brassicae eggs and larvae was 27.4 and 21.5 days, respectively. Almost 10% of C. carnea died when reared on M. brassicae eggs and 15% died when reared on M. brassicae larvae. The quality aspect of the prey is discussed.

Predation capacity and prey preference of Chrysoperla carnea on Pieris brassicae

“…obs.). The results confirmed the more voracious nature of third instar lacewings compared to second instars as reported by others (Principi and Canard 1984;Klingen et al 1996;Silva et al 2002). Both instars of C. carnea showed a clear preference for P. brassicae caterpillars over eggs when both prey types were presented together.…”

“…Supportive evidence of the potential of C. carnea against lepidopteran pests comes from observations that this species could complete juvenile development when feeding on eggs of Mamestra brassicae (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) or of Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (Ş engonca and Grooterhorst 1985). Similarly, Klingen et al (1996) found that most C. carnea in their experiments could develop to adulthood by feeding on eggs or larvae of M. brassicae.…”

“…Second instars were selected to get information on the instant control potential of releases of C. carnea directly from commercial shipments, which are usually based on this developmental stage. The third instar was chosen to obtain information on the maximum predation capacity of this species since the third instar larval stage is the most voracious, consuming more than 3/4 of the total prey intake during larval development (Principi and Canard 1984;Klingen et al 1996;Silva et al 2002).…”

Quantifying Insect Predation: A Comparison of Three Methods for Estimating Daily per Capita Consumption of Two Aphidophagous Predators

“…However, the ways in which predator consumption rates are reported in the literature are inconsistent and can lead to confusion. Some studies consider prey killed as equivalent to prey consumed (Burke and Martin 1956, Simpson and Burkhardt 1960, Krishnamoorthy and Mani 1982, Balasubramani and Swamiappan 1994, others exclude partially eaten prey from their calculations (Samson andBlood 1980, Chen andLiu 2001), and only a few clearly distinguish between numbers of prey killed and amount of biomass consumed (Klingen et al 1996, Lucas et al 1997, Soares et al 2004). …”

Biologia de Ceraeochrysa claveri Navás (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) predando Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

“…Atributos como elevada capacidade de busca, alto potencial reprodutivo, capacidade de explorar habitats variados e ampla diversidade de presas (ALBUQUERQUE et al, 2001). Os crisopídeos alimentam-se de pulgões, cochonilhas, moscas-brancas, ovos e larvas de diversos outros insetos, além de vários artrópodes de pequeno tamanho e de tegumento mole (KLINGEN et al, 1996). O uso de crisopídeos como agente de controle biológico da traça-das-crucíferas Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) pode ser uma alternativa eficiente em cultivos de repolho (TALEKAR & SHELTON, 1993).…”