Infection, choice behavior, and cross infectivity of the sculpted damsel bug, Nabis roseipennis, offered tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, infected with entomopathogenic nematodes

Authors: Glover, James; Spaulding, Nathan; Nufer, Marissa; George, Justin; Portilla, Maribel; Reddy, Gadi

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2025
Publication Date: 4/30/2025
Citation: Glover, J.P., Spaulding, N.R., Nufer, M., George, J., Portilla, M., Reddy, G.V. 2025. Infection, choice behavior, and cross infectivity of the sculpted damsel bug, Nabis roseipennis, offered tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, infected with entomopathogenic nematodes. Insects. 16:475. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050475.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050475

Interpretive Summary: In this study, the tarnished plant bug, a significant pest of row crops worldwide, was targeted using 10 isolates of entomopathogenic nematodes EPNs. The experiments aimed to evaluate the infectivity of EPNs against both the tarnished plant bug and a generalist predator, the sculpted damsel bug. Results showed varied mortality rates among isolates and species with strains HbHP88, HbVS, Sc17c+e, and SfSN, demonstrating the highest potential for biological control of the tarnished plant bug due to their effectiveness and low mortality on non-target insects. This study also observed that the predator-prey choice was influenced by infection, and feeding on infected prey did not lead to cross-infection of the predator.

Technical Abstract: The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) Hemiptera: Miridae, is an economically important pest of row crops worldwide. Ten isolates of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) were evaluated against the third instar nymphal stage of tarnished plant bug and its generalist predator, the sculpted damsel bug,Nabis roseipennis Reuter (Hemiptera: Nabidae) one of the most abundant and commonly encountered damsel bugs in cotton and soybean agroecoscapes across the Southeastern United States. The objectives of these experiments were to assess the infectivity of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) by direct topical exposure against the sculpted damsel bug and tarnished plant bug, and whether the predator prey choice is affected by EPN infection, and if feeding on EPN-infected TPB prey items could result in cross-infection of the predator. Mortality rates at a concentration of 200 infective juveniles (IJs)/ml significantly differed among isolates and insect species, ranging from 30% to 93% for tarnished plant bugs and sculpted damsels 6% to 38%, respectively. The third instars of L. lineolaris were more susceptible to the ten nematode isolates than N. roseipennis. Higher pathogenicity on the tarnished plant bug and low mortality potential make strains HbHP88, HbVS, Sc17c+e, and SfSN the most promising candidate for the biological control of L. lineolaris under lab and greenhouse conditions while preserving beneficial predators of the Southeastern United States.