Predation on five species of Tingidae (Hemiptera) by Stethoconus japonicas
Author of the article:LUO You；XIAO Feng；ZHAO Ru-Na；YIN Zheng-Yan；LI Tai-Mei；GUO Feng；WU Xue-San；CHEN Wen-Long
Author's Workplace：Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China；Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China；Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China；Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China；Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China；Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China；Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China；Guizhou Key Laboratory of Plant Diseases and Pest Management for Mountainous Agriculture, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Key Words：Stethoconus japonicas; Tingidae; invasive pest; predatory functional responses; biological control
Abstract：
[Objectives] To evaluate the potential for male and female Stethoconus japonicus Schumacher (Miridae) to be used as a biological control for 5 species of Tingidae, which are important pests of commercial agricultural and forestry crops in China. The Miridae are natural predators of the Tingidae that could potentially play an important role in the environmentally-friendly control of the pests.【Methods】 The prey preferences and predatory function of adult S. japonicaswith respect to Stephanitis chinensis, S. nashi, Corythucha ciliata and C. marmorata were measured under constant environmental conditions (26±1)℃, 70%±5% RH.【Results】 The relative preference of female and male S. japonicas for the five Tingid species was, S. chinensis>C. ciliate>S. nashi>C. Marmorata. Females had stronger prey preferences than males. There was a significant difference in the average number of each of the 5 species of Tingidae preyed on by S. japonicas. The average number of prey consumed by females was greater than that consumed by males. Predation by S. japonicas on the five Tingid species approximated a Type II Holling functional response. The predatory efficiency (a¢/Th) of S. japonicas was highest when preying on S. chinensis, followed by C. ciliate. The maximum daily predation rate (1/Th) of females and males on S. chinensis was 36.23 and 28.57 individuals, respectively. The lowest predatory efficiency was on E. sigillatus for which the maximum daily predation by females and males was 25.38 and 18.66 individuals, respectively.【Conclusion】 Adult S. japonicus have the potential to be an effective biological control for all five Tingid species tested but are most effective at controlling S. chinensis and C. ciliata. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the evaluating the potential of S. chinensis as a biological control for the Tingidae.