Effects of diet on development and reproduction of the predatory pentatomids Picromerus bidens and Podisus maculiventris

Abstract

The effects of five diets (larvae of Galleria mellonella L., larvae of Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval), eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, cysts of Artemia franciscana Kellogg and an artificial diet based on bovine meat) on development, survival and reproduction of two predatory stinkbugs, Picromerus bidens L. and Podisus maculiventris (Say), were studied in the laboratory. Both species successfully completed immature development on the foods offered, except for P. bidens on cysts of A. franciscana. Significant effects of diet on developmental duration were found in both species. Total developmental time from second instar to adult ranged from 25.0 to 41.5 days and from 18.7 to 46.0 days in P. bidens and P. maculiventris, respectively. Nymphal survival of P. maculiventris was superior to that of P. bidens on all diets tested. Nymphal survival of P. maculiventris was greater than 92% on all diets except on A. franciscana cysts, yielding only 50% survival to adulthood. Survival of P. bidens fed on eggs of E. kuehniella was higher than that of conspecifics fed on caterpillar prey or artificial diet (89% on flour moth eggs vs. 68 and 80% on G. mellonella and S. littoralis and only 50% on meat diet). Fresh weight of newly emerged females of both pentatomids was affected by the diet offered to the predators during their nymphal stage. Females of P. maculiventris produced viable eggs on all diets except on cysts of A. franciscana and had mean fecundities of 691, 436, 608 and 344 eggs per female on S. littoralis, G. mellonella, E. kuehniella eggs and the meat diet, respectively. Females of P. bidens laid eggs only on live prey with mean fecundities of 94 and 38 eggs per female on S. littoralis and G. mellonella, respectively. The results indicate a lower nutritional plasticity of P. bidens as compared with P. maculiventris.

Study on the Potential Distribution of Leptinotarsa decemlineata and Its Natural Enemy Picromerus bidens Under Climate Change

“…Colorado potato beetle, a worldwide quarantine pest (Wang et al, 2011;Hou et al, 2020), has invaded many countries and regions (Wang, 2018). P. bidens is a kind of polyphagous insect, which can prey on many kinds of pests such as CPB and can be used to control CPB (Mahdian et al, 2006;Tang, 2020). Therefore, predicting the potential distribution areas of CPB and P. bidens can facilitate the monitoring, early warning and control of CPB all over the world.…”

Potential of Predator Podisus nigrispinus Dallas (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in the Control of Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…The development and reproduction of P. nigrispinus may vary with the prey used (Lacerda et al, 2004;Lemos et al, 2005;Mahdian et al, 2006), which may have implications for mass production as well as the effectiveness of biological pest control in the field for different crops (Oliveira et al, 2004a). According to Oliveira et al (2004a), predation potential studies should prioritize the mass breeding of these insects under laboratory conditions, and subsequently released into the field for biological control of key pests in various crops.…”

The influence of diet on the duration and thermal sensitivity of development in the linden bug Pyrrhocoris apterusL. (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae)

“…those reducing survivorship and fecundity) often result in slower development and smaller body size. Examples include species of pentatomid and anthocorid bugs (Goryshin et al, 1988;Mahdian et al, 2006;Bonte et al, 2012), ground beetles of the genus Amara (Saska & Honȇk, 2003;Saska, 2005;Sasakawa, 2007) and other hemi-and holometabolus insects (Idowu & Sonde, 2003;Khattak et al, 2004;Syed et al, 2008;Tofangsazi et al, 2012). These consequences of malnutrition arise quite frequently as a result of insufficient protein content in food.…”