Seasonal Occurrences and Species Composition of Orius spp. (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) in an Okra Field of Kawasaki City

Seasonal occurrences and species composition of Orius spp. in an okra field of Kawasaki City were investigated. It was confirmed that Orius spp. occurred on okra plants in early-summer and remained until early-autumn. Their peak occurrence advanced with an earlier flowering time. The initial occurrence was not, however, associated with the seasonal prevalence of thrips on okra plants. These results suggest that the main factors influencing the occurrence of Orius spp. in okra fields are prey-independent. The dominant species were O. sauteri (Poppius) and O. minutus (L.), and their compositions fluctuated between early-summer and early-autumn. Further basic research is required to evaluate okra in order to develop conservation biological control systems for urban agriculture.