Reproductive performance of four aphidophagous ladybirds on cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch

Abstract:  This study investigated prey consumption, egg production, percent progeny loss, reproductive, pre- and post-reproductive periods, reproductive time ratio, reproductive rate and bioconversion efficiency of four aphidophagous ladybirds, viz. Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus, Coccinella transversalis Fabricius and Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) on Dolichos lablab Linnaeus infested with cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch. C. sexmaculata had the highest bioconversion efficiency, reproductive rate and reproductive time ratio followed in rank order by P. dissecta , C. transversalis and C. septempunctata . This study indicates that C. sexmaculata has a narrow ecological relationship with A. craccivora . The increased allocation of resources to reproduction as indicated through a high reproductive time ratio and high bioconversion efficiency of C. sexmaculata and P. dissecta suggest that they may be better adapted to compete for this prey with larger species like C. transversalis and C. septempunctata .     

MORPHOGENESIS OF THE AXONEME IN THE SPERMATOCYTE OF COCCINELLA SEPTEMPUNCTATA LINNAEUS

Abstract  Using cell whole mount preparation, early morphogenesis and ultrastructure of the axoneme of Coccinella septempunctata L. spermatocyte were investigated by transmission electron microscope. During spermatogenesis two pairs of basal body-axoneme complexes originated from centrioles are found in the spermatocyte and they are separated completely from each other at interkinesis. The centriolar adjunct begins to generate while a basal body-axoneme complex is attached to the nuclear envelope of a spermatid nucleus, and it, on the proximal end of a growing axoneme, reaches a maximum before chromatin condensation. The growing axoneme is accompanied by the condensable nucleus elongation. The early axoneme of a basal body-axoneme complex consists nine doublets with only inner and outer dynein arms, no central microtubules.     

6种复配杀虫剂对七星瓢虫的毒力测定及风险评估

采用药膜法分别测定了10％甲维盐·茚虫威悬浮剂、12％甲维盐·虫螨腈悬浮剂、12％虫螨腈·虱螨脲悬浮剂、14％呋虫胺·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂、22％吡虫啉·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂和6％吡虫啉·高效氯氟氰菊酯悬浮剂6种复配杀虫剂对七星瓢虫Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus幼虫急性毒性,并进行了初级风险评估.结果 显示,6种药剂对七星瓢虫48 h的LR5o(半致死用量,Median lethal rate)分别为0.812、2.255、4.082、22.735、6.755和0.00467 g a.i/hm2.在农田内暴露场景下,6种复配杀虫剂对七星瓢虫风险均不可接受;在农田外暴露场景下,仅有14％呋虫胺·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂和22％吡虫啉·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂对七星瓢虫风险可接受,其它均不可接受.结果 表明在田间最大推荐用量下,6种药剂对七星瓢虫的初级风险评价均存在高风险.     

避难所对七星瓢虫捕食桃蚜功能反应的影响

自然情况下的捕食是以植物为中介发生的。作者采用植物模型作为捕食环境,测试了单纯的物理因素(避难所)对七星瓢虫Coccinella septempunctata L.捕食桃蚜Myzus persicae(Sulzer)的功能反应的影响。结果表明,避难所的存在能造成七星瓢虫捕食量和捕食率极显著下降,对雄虫的影响显著比雌虫强,且在中等猎物密度时影响更为突出。Logistic回归分析发现,七星瓢虫雌虫和雄虫无论避难所是否存在,功能反应类型均为HollingⅡ型。避难所不存在的情况下,雌、雄成虫的圆盘方程分别为N a=1.0259 N0/(1+0.003078 N0)和N a=0.9246 N0/(1+0.002127 N0),避难所存在的情况下,其圆盘方程分别为N a=0.9500 N0/(1+0.00342 N0)和N a=0.6463N0/(1+0.002262 N0)。避难所的存在能导致两性成虫瞬时攻击率极显著下降,但仅雄虫处置时间极显著延长,说明雄虫在环境异质性较高时捕获猎物更困难。     

Colonization of Coquillettidia linealis (Skuse) with reference to other Coquillettidia and Mansonia species

The immature stages of Coquillettidia and Mansonia mosquitoes are cryptic and spend the duration of their development attached to the tissues of subsurface aquatic plants. This obligatory association makes them difficult to collect and has precluded detailed investigation of the biology of Coquillettidia linealis, a species of significant pest and vector status in Australia, as well as other species in the genus Coquillettidia in Australia and elsewhere. This paper describes the first successful establishment and maintenance of a colony of Cq. linealis. Blood‐seeking wild adults were collected and induced to oviposit under laboratory conditions, where methods were developed to rear larval populations to adult maturity in a colony that was maintained through eight successive generations. Colonies of Coquillettidia xanthogaster and Coquillettidia sp. nr crassipes were also established and reared through at least six generations and five generations, respectively, while two species of Mansonia, Mansonia uniformis and Mansonia septempunctata, were also reared successfully for six and two generations, respectively.     

滞育七星瓢虫的代谢适应与抗寒性评价

滞育是部分昆虫固有的适应逆境胁迫的遗传属性,七星瓢虫具有显著的滞育现象。本文以七星瓢虫雌成虫为试材,研究正常发育、滞育及滞育解除后3组处理试虫糖、脂、蛋白等关键代谢物质含量波动规律,总结滞育期间的代谢适应特点,解析其与过冷却能力的相关性,探索滞育对七星瓢虫逆境胁迫耐受力的促升效应,丰富七星瓢虫的滞育基础理论研究。利用物质干湿重差数法测定七星瓢虫的含水量;利用氯仿-甲醇(体积比为2∶1)法抽提除去自由水个体的脂肪;总糖、海藻糖、甘油、山梨醇及总蛋白的测定采用标准曲线法,利用SUN-II型智能昆虫过冷却点测定仪测定七星瓢虫的过冷却点(supercooling point,SCP)。结果表明,七星瓢虫滞育组含水量(58.11%±6.55%)显著低于正常发育组(68.49%±2.26%)和滞育解除组(65.84%±4.02%)(F=8.15,P0.01),滞育解除后含水量恢复至正常发育组水平;滞育组总糖(10.60±0.54μg/mg)、糖原(8.72±0.62μg/mg)、脂肪(173.66±19.01μg/mg)含量远远高于正常发育组和滞育解除组(F=46.57,P=0.0006;F=114.25,P0.0001;F=8.48,P0.01);滞育组总蛋白含量(49.20±3.80μg/mg)显著低于正常发育组(71.02±6.15μg/mg)和滞育解除组(69.45±4.66μg/mg)(F=46.57,P=0.0006);滞育组中海藻糖(1.31±0.27μg/mg)、甘油(1.74±0.50μg/mg)、山梨醇(9.84±3.02μg/mg)含量与正常发育组、滞育解除组无显著性差异(F=0.79,P=0.4946;F=1.33,P=0.3004;F=1.69,P=0.2387)。七星瓢虫在滞育条件下其过冷却点(-16.53℃±1.44℃)显著低于正常发育组(-14.07℃±1.33℃)和滞育解除组(-15.29℃±2.10℃)(F=13.47,P0.0001),经过滞育低温驯化后滞育解除组过冷却点较对照组有所降低。滞育诱发七星瓢虫发生显著的代谢适应,蛋白含量显著降低,抑制新陈代谢进程;糖脂含量显著升高,保障滞育维持及解除后发育的能量需求;七星瓢虫滞育属糖原积累型;滞育个体过冷却点大幅下降,耐寒性显著提升。     

Effects of plot vegetation diversity and spatial scale on Coccinella septempunctata movement in the absence of prey

The influence that vegetation diversity and the spatial scale of that diversity exert on insect behavior has increasingly been explored in the ecological literature, but relatively few experiments have explicitly incorporated both factors in experimental treatments. We conducted a field study designed to explore the effect of both of these factors on insect movement behavior in a broccoli agroecosystem. We caught and released seven‐spotted ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata L.) in plots containing different degrees of vegetation diversity at two different spatial scales in which prey had been removed. Beetle movement was recorded at timed intervals, and move lengths and turning angles were used to generate discrete path maps for each beetle. Observed mean beetle net squared displacements were compared with predicted net squared displacements, and 95% confidence intervals were generated using a bootstrap method described by Turchin (1998 ) [Quantitative Analysis of Movement: Measuring and Modeling Population Redistribution in Animals and Plants. Sinauer Associates Inc., Sunderland, MA.]. Predicted net squared displacements underestimated beetle movement in smaller plots with both low and higher vegetation diversity for the first five move lengths, whereas no significant difference between observed and predicted net squared displacement for beetles in larger plots of either level of vegetation diversity were detected. These findings highlight the need for a better understanding of how natural enemies are influenced by vegetation diversity and the spatial scale of that vegetation in agroecosystems. The implications of these results for biological control are discussed.     

Effect of intraguild predation on the survival and development of three species of aphidophagous ladybirds: consequences for invasive species

Abstract 1 Survival and development of hatchling larvae of three aphidophagous ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Harmonia axyridis Pallas, Coccinella septempunctata brucki Mulsant and Adalia bipunctata Linnaeus, when fed their own and the other species eggs were recorded. 2 In all three species, the larvae survived when fed conspecific eggs. 3 The percentage of larvae of H. axyridis that survived decreased to 35% and 85% when fed eggs of A. bipunctata and C. s. brucki, respectively. All the larvae of A. bipunctata and C. s. brucki died after eating eggs of H. axyridis. None of the larvae of C. s. brucki died after eating eggs of A. bipunctata, whereas 46% of those of A. bipunctata died after eating eggs of C. s. brucki. 4 In general, larvae were reluctant to eat the eggs of other species. However, larvae of C. s. brucki showed less reluctance than H. axyridis to eat the eggs of A. bipunctata. 5 The consequence of this for invasive species of ladybird is discussed.     

Voracity and feeding preferences of two aphidophagous coccinellids on Aphis citricola and Tetranychus urticae

Voracity and feeding preferences of adult Coccinella septempunctata L. and Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae, tribe Coccinellini) were evaluated in the laboratory on a common prey, the spirea aphid, Aphis citricola van der Goot (Homoptera: Aphididae), and on the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acarina: Tetranychidae), a prey previously unrecorded for these two predators. The experiments were carried out in the laboratory on apple saplings (Malus domestica Borkhausen). Adult males and females of H. axyridis consumed significantly more mites than adults of C. septempunctata. For H. axyridis, males consumed 41.3 spider mites in 24 h and females 48.4, whereas for C. septempunctata males consumed 14.1 prey and females 15.2. The consumption of spirea aphids by the males was similar for the two species. Consumption by the females was significantly greater for H. axyridis (46.5) than for C. septempunctata (22.2). The two coccinellids showed a significant preference for A. citricola in the presence of T. urticae. This preference was more pronounced for C. septempunctata. The total number of prey consumed and the percentage of exploited biomass decreased significantly for C. septempunctata and stayed relatively constant for H. axyridis as the number of mites increased in the prey ratio. Our results suggest that T. urticae is only an alternative prey for both predators, and that H. axyridis should be more efficient than C. septempunctata in a prey assemblage with aphids and mites.