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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341854
Research Project: Improved Biologically-Based Tactics to Manage Invasive Insect Pests and Weeds

Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research

Title: Analysis of predatory behaviors of the soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris towards the kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria and genetic profile of M. cribraria in the Southern US

Author
item TURNER, ERIC - Florida A & M University
item KANGA, LAMBERT - Florida A & M University
item ANANGA, ANTHONY - Florida A & M University
item Legaspi, Jesusa

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Megacopta cribraria is a serious agricultural pest that causes damage to numerous economical important crops such as soybean, lablab bean, and vetch. Megacopta cribraria is a newly introduced invasive pest species that has a few predators and parasitoids that control it in nature. Podisus maculiventris is a beneficial predator that feeds on over 90 different insect species and this predator has been successfully used in biological control strategies. In this study we investigated the effects that the prey-density of Megacopta cribraria has on the predatory behavior of P. maculiventris. We also assessed the effects of a diet consisting of on Megacopta cribraria on the developmental characteristics of P. maculiventris. Our results showed that P. maculiventris functions best as a low prey-density predator. There were significant differences between egg productions by P. maculiventris when feeding on Megacopta cribraria compared to feeding on mealworm. There were also significant differences of the body weight between P. maculiventris that were fed with Megacopta cribraria and those with mealworms. Phylogenetic analysis indicated genetic differences, and that samples from GA and AL are more closely related to each other than samples from FL, AR, and SC. Insect samples from TN and MS are the most genetically different.