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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Pest Management and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #232329
Title: Diet selection exhibited by various lifestages of the omnivores lygus hesperus (Heteroptera: Miridae) and lygus lineolaris

Author
item Hagler, James
item JACKSON, C - USDA-ARS-WCRL RETIRED
item Blackmer, Jacquelyn

Submitted to: Journal of Insect Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/30/2009
Publication Date: 8/6/2010
Citation: Hagler, J.R., Jackson, C.G., Blackmer, J.L. (2010). Diet selection exhibited by various lifestages of the omnivores Lygus hesperus (Heteroptera: Miridae) and Lygus lineolaris. Journal of Insect Science. 10:134

Interpretive Summary: The plant bugs, Lygus hesperus and L. lineolaris are economically important pests on many crops worldwide including cotton, alfalfa, vegetables, fruits and ornamentals. However, these omnivores are also opportunistic predators on a wide variety of insects. This study was conducted to quantify herbivory and carnivory exhibited among different lifestages of these two omnivorous pests. We observed the feeding activity of a total of 422 individuals for 1 h each in feeding arenas containing a cotton leaf disk and copious amounts of sweetpotato whitefly eggs, nymphs, and adults. The lygus bug lifestages examined included adults and 3rd, 4th, and 5th instar nymphs. Plant feeding occupied the majority of both species’ time budget, regardless of the species or lifestage examined. There was a tendency for L. lineolaris lifestages to feed more often and for longer duration on plant tissue than L. hesperus. All lifestages of both species rarely fed on whiteflies, but they preferred nymphs > adults > eggs. There were only a few cases where there were significant differences in predation rates and prey handling times exhibited by the various lifestages and species, but L. hesperus tended to be more predaceous than L. lineolaris. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Technical Abstract: Lygus hesperus Knight and Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) are economically important plant bugs on many crops worldwide including cotton, alfalfa, vegetables, fruits and ornamentals. However, these omnivores are also facultative predators on a wide variety of insects. This study was conducted to quantify herbivory and carnivory exhibited among different lifestages of these two omnivorous pests. To this end, we observed the feeding activity of a total of 422 individuals for 1 h each in feeding arenas containing a cotton leaf disk and copious amounts of sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) eggs, nymphs, and adults. The L. hesperus and L. lineolaris lifestages examined included adults and 3rd, 4th, and 5th instar nymphs. Plant feeding occupied the majority of both species’ time budget, regardless of the species or lifestage examined. There was a tendency for L. lineolaris lifestages to feed more often and for longer duration on plant tissue than L. hesperus. All lifestages of both species rarely fed on whiteflies, but they preferred nymphs > adults > eggs. There were only a few cases where there were significant differences in predation rates and prey handling times exhibited by the various lifestages and species, but L. hesperus tended to be more predaceous than L. lineolaris. The significance of these findings is discussed.