Laboratory Studies of the Food Preferences of Some Orchard Carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Abstract

Can. Enr. 114: 431-437 (1982) Laboratory studies of the food preferences of several adult carabids showed that Amara aenea DeG., Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F., Harpalus affinis Schr., and Stenolophus comma F. were polyphagous and readily fed on the seeds of several weeds as well as on young codling moth larvae and apple maggot pupae. H. affinis also attacked 4th and 5th instar codling moth larvae and pupae more readily than the other species. Pterostichus melanarius 111. showed a strong preference for the larger prey such as 5th instar codling moth larvae, earthworms, and scarabaeid larvae. The potential of these species as predators of the codling moth and the apple maggot is discussed. Des Ctudes de laboratoire sur les prkfkrences alimentaires de plusieurs carabidks adultes ont rCvClC que Amara aenea DeG., Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F., Harpalus affinis Schr. et Stenolophus comma F. Ctaient polyphages et n'hksitaient pas 5 se noumr des graines de plusieurs especes de mauvaises herbes, ainsi que de jeunes larves du carpocapse et de pupes de la mouche de la pomme. H . affinis s'attaque Cgalement davantage aux pupes et aux larves des 4e et 5e stades du carpocapse qu'aux autres espkces. Pterostichus rnelanarius Ill. montre une prefkrence marqude pour les proies plus volumineuses comme les larves du 5e stade du carpocapse, les lombrics et Ies larves de scarabCidCs. L'auteur Ctudie I'efficacitC prtdatrice de ces esptces sur le carpocapse et la mouche de la pomme.

Predation by the carabid beetle Harpalus rufipes on the pest slug Deroceras reticulatum in the laboratory

“…The same was observed in laboratory experiments with A. parallelepipedus predating upon adults of D. reticulatum (Symondson, 1989), with H. rufipes predating on hatchlings of D. reticulatum (Ayre, 2001), or with C. nemoralis, P. melanarius and P. niger predating upon eggs and hatchlings of A. lusitanicus (Hatteland et al, 2010). Hagley et al (1982) also showed that P. melanarius kill prey even when satiated. Ayre (2001) attributed this wasteful or accidental killing to the way in which beetles assess potential prey, and pointed that such behaviour is a useful component in the impact that carabids may have on slug populations in the field.…”

“…Dempster (1967) found that predation on Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758) by H. rufipes is most important during the smaller first two larval stages than in the third to fifth instars. Amara aenea (DeGeer, 1774) showed a strong feeding preference for small first instar larvae of Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus, 1758), being unable to subdue larger fourth instar larvae (Hagley et al, 1982).…”

Effects of groundcover management on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in an apple orchard

“…In apple orchards, carabids are natural enemies of pests, preying on aphids (Hagley and Allen, 1990), apple maggot (Hagley et al, 1982), and potentially on other pests that have a life cycle stage in the soil, such as apple sawfly, apple twig cutter or apple leaf midge. Ground beetles have also been cited as preying on fifth-instar codling moth when the larvae seek a cocooning site on the ground (Glen and Milsom, 1978;Hagley et al, 1982;Hagley and Allen, 1988;Riddick and Mills, 1994), and some species could even feed on larvae in their cocooning shelters in the tree since they are able to climb plants in order to prey on pests (Dixon and McKinlay, 1992).…”

“…Ground beetles have also been cited as preying on fifth-instar codling moth when the larvae seek a cocooning site on the ground (Glen and Milsom, 1978;Hagley et al, 1982;Hagley and Allen, 1988;Riddick and Mills, 1994), and some species could even feed on larvae in their cocooning shelters in the tree since they are able to climb plants in order to prey on pests (Dixon and McKinlay, 1992). Although few studies have focused on the efficiency of carabid predation on codling moth, ground beetles seem to have only a slight effect in regulating this pest populations (Glen and Milsom, 1978;Hagley and Allen, 1988;Riddick and Mills, 1994).…”

Harpalus affinis(Schrank) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) recently established in the North Island of New Zealand

“…fat hen (Cbpodiium album) and ryegrass (Lolium sp.). Harpalus a&is is said to have similar habits in Britain (Alford 1984), but Hagley et al (1982) in a Canadian study found that under laboratory conditions H. a@nis was polyphagous, feeding on weed seeds and also young larvae of codling moth. In France, a study of the crop contents of H. a@nis taken in an apple orchard showed it to be generally phytophagous (fungal spores and pollen grains), but during July, 20-40% of the individuals examined had fed on larvae of Diptera and Lepidoptera (Comic 1973).…”