Investigations on the biology and prey consumption of the predator Serangium parcesetosum Sicard (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) by feeding on Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) as prey

The ladybird, Serangium parcesetosum Sicard (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a specialist predator of whiteflies. To use it for the biological control of Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), it was important to investigate its biology and prey consumption with this whitefly species. Therefore, the present work aimed to study the development, mortality, longevity and fecundity of S. parcesetosum as well as its prey consumption during the entire larval instars' development and through three different periods of adults' longevity with T vaporariorum as prey at a temperature of 30 degrees C on cucumber in the laboratory. The results showed that T vaporariorum was found to be a suitable prey for S. parcesetosum to develop on. Mean total developmental duration from egg to adult emergence was a mean of 17.4 (Y Y) and 16.9 (X X) days. The mortality occurred during all developmental stages of S. parceserosum, where the total mortality during development from egg to adult emergence was 26.4 %. Mean longevity of females with 70.8 days was significantly longer than males with 59.9 days. The females began oviposition after five days of adult emergence with a mean total fecundity of 27.8 eggs/y. The mean daily and total prey consumption by the larval instars of the predator with nymphs or puparia of T vaporariorum increased gradually with the progress of development. Females and males of S. parcesetosum consumed a mean total of 1012,1 and 868,7 nymphs, or 184,0 and 175,8 puparia, respectively. The mean daily prey consumption by females and males of S. parcesetosum fluctuated irregularly over the three studied periods of longevity. The mean total prey consumption over the three periods valued 3842.2 (Y Y) and 3507.2 (X X) nymphs or 1482.2 (Y Y) and 1367.7 (X X) puparia. Both sexes significantly consumed more nymphs rather than puparia. Also, the females consumed significantly more nymphs or puparia than the males.