Reduviid Predators

Ambrose, Dunston P.; Kumar, Akhilesh

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803265-7.00007-5

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 84 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In this study, we investigated how female mating decisions vary with differing male and female conditions in the assassin bug, Amphibolus venator (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). It has been reported that 183 species of reduviid bugs are predators of insect pests (Ambrose & Kumar, 2016). A. venator is one of the predators that feed on various stored‐product insect pests such as flour beetles and meal moths (Imamura et al, 2008; Nishi et al, 2004; Pingale, 1954) and are frequently found in stored‐product facilities (Imamura et al, 2008; Katti et al, 2015a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These suggest that food availability and quality during adulthood generate condition differences in both sexes. Courtship behaviour of reduviid bugs is a typical sequence like other insect species; the male approaches a female, mounts her, extends and connects his genitalia, and copulates (Ambrose & Kumar, 2016). However, there is no information about female mate choice in A. venator .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Female mate choice is affected by male condition but not female condition in an assassin bug

Asakura,

Kiyose,

Suzaki

et al. 2023

Ecological Entomology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual selection theory predicts that females prefer males in good condition because mating with them provides more resources such as sperm, ejaculates and nuptial gifts. The female's condition also affects her mating decisions, and condition‐dependent mate choice may allow her to gain more resources from a mate in the context of fluctuating resource availability. We here investigated how female mating decisions and their fitness consequences varied in the assassin bug Amphibolus venator when the conditions of potential mates and/or the females differed (good or poor condition). Females in both good and poor conditions preferred males in good condition, and females that mated with males in good condition produced more eggs with higher hatch rates. This increase in fitness may be attributed to the males in good condition transferring more ejaculate to the females. In contrast, female mate preference, fecundity and hatch rates were not affected by their own condition. This suggests that females do not choose mates according to their own condition in A. venator. However, the females in good condition laid larger eggs than females in poor condition, implying that females in good condition may invest more per egg to improve their reproductive success. To understand the evolution of female mate choice, it is necessary to investigate the effects of the condition of both sexes on female mating decision and their fitness. In A. venator, male condition may affect mate choice more than female condition.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female mate choice is affected by male condition but not female condition in an assassin bug

Asakura,

Kiyose,

Suzaki

et al. 2023

Ecological Entomology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although we have not tested the sources of this variation, studies suggest that the environmental context (e.g., local availability of prey) and interspecific interactions play important roles (Costa‐Pereira et al, 2018; Henriques et al, 2021; Tsai et al, 2016). Moreover, because assassin bugs suck the body fluids from their prey, ant body size should not impose biomechanical limitations for consumption, although subduing and capturing relatively large prey should still be challenging for reduviid predators (Ambrose & Kumar, 2016). Other traits, such as defensive traits and cuticle thickness and hardness, may also play a role in these consumption patterns.…”

Section: Introdutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic allometry in a predator that carries corpses of its prey

Victor

Costa‐Pereira

2022

Biotropica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the factors that govern trophic relationships is an enduring challenge for ecologists (Paine, 1966). Documenting the myriad of trophic links found in food webs is rarely a trivial task, but the use of allometric scaling approaches has greatly improved our ability to predict these interactions (Garlaschelli et al., 2003). As trophic interactions are influenced by biomechanical mechanisms (Emerson et al., 1994), the relative body size of predators and their prey (i.e., trophic allometry) is an important determinant of trophic links (Brose et al., 2019;Kalinkat et al., 2013). For instance, a predator's body size is often related to its metabolic rate, strength, and speed, which are traits that determine its efficiency in searching, subjugating, and consuming prey (Wootton et al., 2021). In turn, a prey's body size is associated with its energy content and diverse antipredator strategies (Portalier et al., 2019). Therefore, ecological theory predicts that there should be an optimal predator-prey size ratio (PPSR) that maximizes the predator's energy gain (Griffiths, 1980). However, many examples in nature show that predators choose their prey not only seeking to optimize energy intake (Pyke, 1984).The nymphs of ant-snatching assassin bugs of genera Acanthaspis Amyot and Serville 1843 and Inara Stål 1859 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) use their prey not only to obtain energy and nutrients but also for camouflage (Jackson & Pollard, 2007;Odhiambo, 1958). These small voracious predators cover themselves with the remains of their prey, creating a 'backpack' (or a 'mask') made of ant carcasses (Figure 1). This strategy of covering the body with foreign material is known as masking (or decorating)

show abstract

“…It is an entomophagous insect that is found in many agroecosystems and feeds on more than 44 economically important insect pests in India (see the supporting information). The biocontrol potential of R. fuscipes under laboratory and field cage conditions has been previously described by several authors. However, not much information is available about their predatory behavior in field conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%