The lacewing Ceraeochrysa caligata as a potential biological agent for controlling the red palm mite Raoiella indica

PeerJ

卷:7

Khalid Haddi¹  Luis O. Viteri Jumbo¹  Eugênio Eduardo de Oliveira¹  Adenir V. Teodoro²  Andréia S. Galvão³  Adriano S. Rêgo⁴ 

[1] Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil;

[2] Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros, Aracaju, Sergipe, Brasil;

[3] Instituto Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil;

[4] Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agroecologia, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil;

关键词: Invasive pests;    Functional response;    Insect predators;    Tenuipalpidae;    Chrysopidae;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.7123

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background Compared to chemical control, the use of naturally occurring biological agents to control invasive pests is less threatening to the environment and human health. Objectives Here, we assessed the ability of immature stages of the lacewing Ceraeochrysa caligata (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) to prey upon different developmental stages of the red palm mite Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), one of the most destructive invasive pests of palm trees in Neotropical regions. Methods Increasing densities of three stages of R. indica (eggs, immature stages, and adult females) were offered to C. caligata in coconut leaf arenas. The immature stages of C. caligata were less than 24 h old and were starved before being transferring to the arenas. The amount of prey consumed was recorded 6 h after releasing the C. caligata. Results Our results indicated that the ability of C. caligata to feed upon R. indica increased with the larval development of the predator. Higher feeding levels and shorter handling times were recorded for the first and second instars of C. caligata when preying upon the eggs and immature stages of R. indica. Furthermore, C. caligata individuals of different stages exhibited differential functional responses according to prey type (i.e., eggs, immatures, or adult females of R. indica). Ceraeochrysa caligata second instar individuals exhibited a sigmoid increase in consumption rate with increasing prey availability (i.e., a type III functional response) when preying upon immature stages of R. indica. However, when preying upon R. indica adult females, C. caligata second instar individuals exhibited a type II functional response (i.e., an increase in consumption rate with increasing prey availability, before reaching a plateau). Predator individuals of the first and third instar stages exhibited a type II functional response for all prey types. Conclusions Collectively, our findings demonstrate that C. caligata, especially at the second instar stage, has potential as a tool for ecological management of the red palm mite.

【 授权许可】

Unknown