Host plant-mediated orientational and ovipositional behavior of three species of chrysopids (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

Investigations were carried out on the host plant-mediated orientational and ovipositional behavior of three species of adult chrysopids (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), namely Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens), Mallada boninensis (Okamoto), and Mallada astur (Banks), toward three different host plants, cotton, sunflower, and pigeonpea, Wind tunnel studies indicated that C. carnea males had a significantly higher preference for sunflower and females for both sunflower and cotton, while pigeonpea was least preferred. M. boninensis males did not show any specific preference for any of the three host plants, while females showed a higher preference for cotton. M. astur males and females, showed no specific preference for any of the host plants. The ovipositional patterns also followed a similar trend, with more eggs being laid on sunflower and cotton and fewer eggs being laid on pigeonpea, when the chrysopid adults were tested under no-choice conditions. When given a choice of all three host plants, C. carnea and M. boninensis followed the same pattern, while M. astur had no marked preference for any of the host plants. On sunflower, the eggs were almost equally distributed over the tender leaves, florets, and bracts, with no special preference for any specific site. On cotton, C. carnea preferred to lay more eggs on leaves than on buds, while M. boninensis and M. astur did not exhibit any such preference. On pigeonpea, the very few eggs laid by all three chrysopid species were distributed on leaves and pods, but never on flowers. (C) 1999 Academic Press.