Effects of temperature on the establishment potential in the U.K. of the non‐native glasshouse biocontrol agent Macrolophus caliginosus

Abstract

Abstract. This study investigated the effect of temperature on the development and winter survival of the predatory mirid Macrolophus caliginosus Wagner, recently introduced into the U.K. as a biocontrol agent for glasshouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum. The developmental threshold for M. caliginosus calculated by three methods was between 7.3 and 8.4 C, with a day-degree requirement per generation varying between 472 and 524 day-degrees. It was estimated that under outdoor conditions M. caliginosus could complete two generations per year in the U.K. All life stages of M. caliginosus had supercooling points around À20 C, with some pre-freeze mortality evident in both acute and chronic low temperature exposures. Acclimation increased survival of nymphal M. caliginosus from approximately 24±52 days when exposed to a constant 0 C. Provision of prey extended survival of nymphs in the laboratory at a constant 5 C from 39 to 64 days and in the field by c. 150 days. The results are discussed in the context of the occurrence and establishment of M. caliginosus in the U.K. and the need to develop a reliable risk assessment system for non-native species used in glasshouse biocontrol.

Thermal effect on the development and reproduction of an indigenous mirid bug, Pilophorus typicus Distant (Heteroptera: Miridae), a potential biological control agent in Japan

“…In this study, the developmental period from egg to adult was unaffected by the difference in sex at each temperature (Table 1). A similar developmental period for females and males has been reported in M. caliginosus (Hart et al, 2002). The survival rates of the eggs and nymphs, and from eggs to adults, of P. typicus were significantly affected by temperature (Table 1).…”

“…At 25.0°C, the developmental period from egg to adult was 28.4 d for females and 28.6 d for males (Table 1); these results are similar to the developmental period of the commercial biological control agent M. caliginosus at 25°C (Fauvel et al, 1987;Hart et al, 2002) and P. typicus reared with B. tabaci nymph at 25.0°C (Nishikawa et al, unpublished). In this study, the developmental period from egg to adult was unaffected by the difference in sex at each temperature (Table 1).…”

“…The eggs of Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), are useful for rearing polyphagous mirids such as M. caliginosus (Hart et al, 2002). In this study, in order to clarify the optimal thermal conditions required for mass rearing with the moth egg, the development, survival, longevity, and fecundity of P. typicus were investigated at 6 different constant temperatures.…”

Alien species in a warmer world: risks and opportunities

“…Former greenhouse inhabitants such as the three scale species Diaspidiotus distinctus, Coccus hesperidum and Icerya purchasi have recently been found outdoors in Switzerland [34]. Also, non-native biological control agents of greenhouse pests, such as the predatory bug Macrolophus caliginosus [35] and the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus [36] in the UK, have begun to establish outside the greenhouse environment. A recent survey listed >400 insect species of Australasian, African and Central and South American origin that have established in Europe, with most occurring in the Mediterranean region [37].…”

Cold tolerance of the predatory ladybird Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

“…The study of a candidate biocontrol agent's establishment potential is considered to be one of the key elements of an ERA procedure (van Lenteren et al 2006;Bale 2011;Ehlers 2011). The methodology developed by Hart et al (2002a) and used in several subsequent studies (Tullett et al 2004;Hatherly et al 2008;Hughes et al 2009;Berkvens et al 2010;Maes et al 2012) to assess cold tolerance of arthropod biological control agents builds on several parameters, including the supercooling point (SCP, the temperature at which the insect's body fluids freeze) and lethal time at 5°C (LTime, time required to kill 50 % of the population at a constant temperature of 5°C).…”