| Abstrakt: |
Simple Summary: Green lacewings, particularly Chrysoperla externa, play a pivotal role in pest control within agriculture. In our study, we examined the performance of C. externa when fed on the following three distinct prey types: the pupae of the coffee leaf miner, the eggs of the sugarcane borer, and the eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth. Our aim was to ascertain how prey type influences lacewing development and population dynamics. We conducted experiments in a controlled environment, assessing variables such as survival rates, developmental duration, adult lifespan, and reproductive capability. The results demonstrated that C. externa exhibits robust performance when consuming natural prey items, such as coffee leaf miner pupae and sugarcane borer eggs. Interestingly, the predator exhibited even greater success when fed Mediterranean meal moth eggs, despite this not being its natural prey. This finding underscores the adaptability of lacewings to a broad range of prey items that are still conducive to their growth and reproduction. Understanding the dietary preferences and responses of lacewings to different prey types informs the optimization of their utilization in agricultural pest management programs. It offers valuable insights into the development and reproductive behavior of predators consuming natural prey, thus enhancing the efficacy of pest control strategies. Green lacewings are valuable predators, utilized in augmentative biological control against various agricultural pests. However, further studies are required to comprehend the performance of these predators when consuming natural prey. We investigated the capacity of Chrysoperla externa (Hagen) to utilize the following three distinct prey types: the pupae of the coffee leaf miner Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet), the eggs of the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis (F.), and the eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller). The first two of these species are naturally occurring prey found in field crops, while the last serves as a factitious prey species for the mass rearing of natural enemies. We hypothesized that the type of prey would differentially affect the life history and population-level parameters of C. externa. Laboratory experiments were conducted to compare the pre-imaginal survival and developmental times, adult longevity and reproduction, and population growth of C. externa when larvae were provided with each of the three prey items. Results indicated that C. externa utilized the two natural prey items, L. coffeella pupae and D. saccharalis eggs, for its development, reproduction, and population growth. However, larvae developed significantly faster and females exhibited higher reproductive parameters, including fecundity and daily oviposition, when consuming the factitious prey, E. kuehniella eggs. This resulted in a higher intrinsic rate of population increase, as well as shorter times for the population to double in size. Understanding the population dynamics of C. externa when consuming different prey items is crucial for optimizing their utilization in augmentative biological control programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
