Functional Response and Predation Potential of Carabus elysii Adults against the Terrestrial Slug Agriolimax agrestis

Abstract

Terrestrial slugs are a prominent agricultural pest worldwide. To mitigate the negative effects of chemical pest control, biological control involves the use of natural enemies to reduce the impact of target pests. Numerous insects are natural predators of slugs. This study evaluated potential of the predatory species, Carabus elysii Thomson (Coleoptera: Carabidae) to biologically control the terrestrial slug, Agriolimax agrestis. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the functional response, searching efficiency, and interference effect of female and male C. elysii adults regarding adult, immature, and juvenile A. agrestis individuals. The results show that both female and male ground beetle adults are functionally capable of preying on different sizes of terrestrial slugs. C. elysii exhibited Holling type II functional responses when preying on A. agrestis. The maximum daily prey consumption was 35.5 juveniles, 25.1 immatures, and 17.1 adults for adult females and 26.9 juveniles, 20.3 immatures, and 11.6 adults for adult males. The searching efficiency of female C. elysii adults regarding A. agrestis was always higher than that of male adults for identical ages and densities of A. agrestis. Moreover, the predation of C. elysii on slugs was affected by predator density. The disturbance coefficient of male C. elysii were the highest on adult A. agrestis. The results of this study suggest that female C. elysii exhibit a high potential for the biological control of A. agrestis.

Functional response of larval and adult Coccinella septempunctata to eggs and larvae of Plutella xylostella on canola

“…Knowledge of functional response patterns of the life stages of C. septempunctata is vital for understanding the species' potential as a component of biological control‐based management strategies (Jiang et al., 2021). Relationships between temperature and predator consumption behaviour are particularly important for implementing strategies like augmentative biological control, in which temperature can influence the initial establishment and successful colonization by the natural enemy (Hughes et al., 2009).…”

Insecticidal activity of Ageratina adenophora (Asteraceae) extract against Limax maximus (Mollusca, Limacidae) at different developmental stages and its chemical constituent analysis

“…They leave white mucus traces and sticky feces after crawling, which can harbor bacteria. The damage caused by slugs, including bite marks on leaves, fruits, and stems, significantly impacts the quality of agricultural products and crop safety [ 1 ]. Slugs not only harm crops but are also closely associated with plant pathogens and the transmission of parasites to humans, livestock, and wild mammals, posing a considerable threat to human health.…”

“…maximus , Carabus elysii is used to develop new low-toxicity pesticides; however, C . elysii is difficult to raise and release at a fixed point on a large scale [ 1 ]. Therefore, it is an important trend to study pesticides with low preparation cost and toxicity.…”

“…It invades farmlands, gardens, forests, and other habitats, forming dominant communities, suppressing the growth of other plants, and disrupting plant diversity, especially in southwest China [ 6 ]. Studies have shown that this plant contains active principles in its chemical constituents, such as flavonoids, saponins, and tannins, possessing biocidal activities, including molluscicidal properties [ 1 , 7 – 9 ]. These findings provide a feasibility for this plant to control L .…”