The predatory behaviors of Serangiella sababensis and Axinoscymnus apioides
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Key Words：Serangiella sababensis, Axinoscymnus apioides, Bemisia tabaci, predatory behavior, biological control
Abstract： The lady beetles Serangiella sababensis Sasaji and Axinoscymnus apioides Kuznetsov and Ren are predators of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci（Gennadius）. The predatory behaviors of these species were recorded in a laboratory with a videocassette recorder. Results show that the predatory behavior of both species was quite similar and could be was categorized into six kinds of behavior; walking, feeding, cleaning, resting, vibrating wings and prey disposal. Starved adults of both S. sababensis and A. apioides were found to spend more time feeding compared to satiated adults. The proportion of time (in descending order) spent by starved S. sababensis on each behavior was walking>feeding>resting>cleaning>prey disposal, whereas for starved A. apioides the order was walking>resting>feeding>cleaning>prey disposal. However, in satiated individuals, the sequence for S. sababensis was walking>resting>feeding>cleaning>prey disposal, and that for A. apioides was walking>resting> cleaning> feeding>prey disposal. S. sababensis spent more time walking and feeding and less time cleaning and resting than A. apioides.