Seven decades of studies with Asopinae predators in Brazil (1933●-○2014)

Abstract

Studies of Asopinae predators in Brazil were initiated in the 1930's, focusing on the use of these insects in biological control programs. However, the beginning of a period of major contributions to the knowledge on Asopinae predators started in the year 1986, with the release of the first research results, in the Proceedings of the X Brazilian Congress of Entomology in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. In 1991 the first scientific paper was published on the predator Podisus connexivus Bergroth [= Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas)] (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), with study of the biological parameters of this predator for alternative feeding of the caterpillars Bombyx mori Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and larvae Musca domestica (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Muscidae). The first master thesis studying Asopinae predators in Brazil was defended in 1990 at the Federal University of Lavras, which focused was on biology and predatory capacity of Podisus nigrolimbatus [= Brontocoris nigrolimbatus = Brontocoris tabidus] and Podisus connexivus [= Podisus nigrispinus] in the laboratory. Throughout all these years of research and investigations, advances with Asopinae predators occurred in several fields that resulted in a better understanding of these insects, making them an effective tool for controlling insect pests in the agriculture and forestry sectors.

First Report of Predation by a Stink Bug on a Walking-Stick Insect with Reflections on Evolutionary Mechanisms for Camouflage

“…Asopinae is considered and recognized as a natural taxon, distributed worldwide and comprising approximately 63 genera and 303 species [3,4]. Predatory stink bugs are also important tools in biological control: several species are used to control populations of other insects in agricultural systems, reducing need for some pesticides [2,5,6].…”

“…This insect inhabits several ecosystems, and is widely distributed across the Neotropical region [9]. Supputius cincticeps is considered important in biological control in crops and forests, particularly in Brazil, which has led to detailed studies of its biology, behavior, morphology and reproduction [6,2,10].…”

Lack of macronutrients in Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake (Myrtaceae) seedlings affects feed and development of Podisus nigrispinus (Hemiptera: pentatomidae)

“…These insects occur naturally in different crops and feed on a variety of insects (PIRES et al, 2015).…”

“…Brazilian forestry companies have been using P. nigrispinus and other Asopinae predators on the management of defoliating caterpillars on eucalyptus plantations to reduce the use of pesticides (DE BORTOLI et al, 2011;HOLTZ et al, 2011;PIRES et al, 2015).…”

Dispersal of the Zoophytophagous Predator Brontocoris tabidus and Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in an Eucalyptus Plantation

“…Asopinae have been intensively studied for the last 80 yr in Brazil. Investigations have included biology (i.e., biological and reproductive parameters), physiology, biochemistry, biological control, ecology, systematics and morphology, toxicology, mass rearing methods, and plant resistance in cooperation with producers in the forest sector (Pires et al 2015). Members of this subfamily, Podisus maculiventris (Say) and Perillus bioculatus (Fabricius) in North America and Europe, Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff) in Southeast Asia and India, P. nigrispinus (Dallas), Podisus distinctus (Stål), Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret), and Supputius cincticeps (Stål) (all Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in South America are the main Asopinae species that have been used in biological control programs (Pires et al 2016).…”