METHOD FOR CULTURING SERANGIUM-PARCESETOSUM SICARD (COLEOPTERA, COCCINELLIDAE) ON BEMISIA-TABACI GENN (HOMOPTERA, ALEYRODIDAE)

A simple and economical method for culturing Serangium parcesetosum, a predator of Citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead), by using cotton whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.) as a prey was described on two different host plants; 'Aleppo 1' cultivar of Gossypium hirsutum L and 'Black Beauty' cultivar of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). First larvae of S. parcesetosum were seen 9.8 days (7-12) after the introduction of adult into the cages with cotton host. It took mean of 28.8 days (25-34) for the first adult emergence of F1, and after a mean of 42.2 days (33-53), adult emergence ceased. Population increase of the first generation was about 9 fold; cages introduced with 16-18 S. parcesetosum adults produced in average 156.6 (105-227) adults. Culturing was continued for 10 successive generations with the same success. Rearing on eggplants was also promising. The highest number of S. parcesetosum larvae observed was 43 per leaf on cotton, and 52 on eggplant when prey was in excess amount.