Eur. J. Entomol. 102 (3): 385-390, 2005 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2005.055

On the assessment of prey suitability in aphidophagous Coccinellidae

J.P. MICHAUD
Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Agricultural Research Center - Hays, 1232 240 th Ave, Hays, KS, 67601;

Empirical protocols for assessing the suitability of prey for aphidophagous coccinellids are examined and a modified scheme of categorization is presented. It is argued that prey suitability should be assessed independently for larval development and adult reproduction because of potentially divergent nutritional requirements between these life stages. A scheme is proposed for assessing prey suitability for larval development using conspecific eggs as a reference diet against which diets of various prey types can be compared both within and among coccinellid species. Among suitable prey (those that support ca. 100% survival of larvae to the adult stage), those that promote faster development and yield larger adults relative to a conspecific egg diet are considered "optimal" for larvae. Prey that yield viable adults with similar or reduced adult weight after a similar or extended period of development relative to a diet of conspecific eggs are classified as "adequate". Prey are "marginal" if they support the survival of some larvae, but significantly less than 100%. Supplementary water should be provided with any non-aphid diet (e.g. pollen and alternative sources of animal protein) given the potential for food-specific diet-drought stress interactions. For adults, suitable prey are classified as "adequate" if they support the production of viable eggs when fed as a monotypic diet, or "marginal" if they merely prolong adult life relative to a water source. Prey that comprise an optimal or adequate diet for both larval development and adult reproduction are termed "complete" and these can be indexed for relative suitability according to derived estimates of rm. Potential sources of error in diet evaluation studies are identified and discussed.

Keywords: Coccinellidae, development, diet, prey, reproduction

Received: November 24, 2004; Revised: March 29, 2005; Accepted: March 29, 2005; Published: August 15, 2005  Show citation

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MICHAUD, J.P. (2005). On the assessment of prey suitability in aphidophagous Coccinellidae. EJE, 102(3), 385-390. doi: 10.14411/eje.2005.055
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