COMPARATIVE DEMOGRAPHICS OF A GENERALIST PREDATORY LADYBIRD ON FIVE APHID PREY: A LABORATORY STUDY

Abstract  Prey driven demographic parameters of an aphidophagous ladybird, Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) were studied in attempt to answer how ladybird overcomes the problem of seasonally fluctuating food base. The ladybird reared for five generations in laboratory derived differential nutrition from five food sources ( i.e . aphid species, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis gossypii Glover, Uroleucon compositae (Theobald) and Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.)). The order of relative prey suitability was A. gossypii, A. craccivora, R. maidis, U. compositae and L. erysimi . Neonates suffered maximum mortality followed by eggs. Estimates of net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase and finite rate of increase were highest (407. 18, 0.2274 day^-1, 1.2553 day^-1) on A. gossypii and lowest (176.02, 0.1533 day^-1, 1.1657 day^-1) on L. erysirni . Generation time was shortest (26.43 days) on A. gossypii and longest (33.73 days) on L. erysirni . The present study thus, provides an explanation to the high incidence of P. dissecta on A. gossypii , as it experienced high intrinsic rate of increase and optimal values for related demographic parameters.