TITLE:
Influence of three aphid species used as prey on some biological aspects of the predator Eriopis connexa
AUTHORS:
William Duarte, Helber Arévalo, Ingeborg Zenner de Polanía
KEYWORDS:
Predator Rearing; Brevycoryne brassicae; Macrosiphum; Pterocallis sp.; The Alder Aphid; Glucosinolates
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.3 No.3,
July
11,
2013
ABSTRACT: Up
to now, the search for an efficient artificial diet to rear the predator Eriopis connexa, native to the Colombian
highlands of Cundinamarca and Boyacá has been without success. Therefore, it
is necessary to determine which of the available preys supply the best food for
its development, survival and fertility. With this purpose, under
controlled conditions, three aphid species, accessible within the natural
habitat of the predator, were evaluated. The cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) does not provide
an adequate nutrition for the predator, and apparently, the glucosinolate
content of this aphid is transferred and affecting the predator. Based on the demographic
parameters such as net reproductive rate, finite reproduction rate, generational
time and intrinsic growth rate, for three consecutive generations, it was determined
that none of the other two aphid species can be considered either as optimum
prey. Macrosiphum euphorbiae, as
prey stands out over the alder aphid, Pterocallis sp., supplied as food. The influence that these three prey species had on
the growth potential of the larval stages of the predator, under particular
ambient conditions, is reported.