Does Foraging Experience Affect the Responses of the Predator Dicyphus hesperus Knight to Prey-Induced Volatiles?

• Published in: Neotropical entomology Vol. 47; no. 6; pp. 885 - 891
• Main Authors: Lima-Espindola, J., Rodríguez-Leyva, E., Lomeli-Flores, J. R., Velázquez-González, J. C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-12-2018
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animals; Appetitive Behavior; Biological Control; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Entomology; Female; Hemiptera - chemistry; Hemiptera - physiology; Herbivory; Heteroptera - physiology; Life Sciences; Lycopersicon esculentum; Predatory Behavior; Volatile Organic Compounds - chemistry; info-chemicals; potato psyllid; biological control; mirid predators; Bactericera cockerelli
• ISSN: 1519-566X; 1678-8052
• DOI: 10.1007/s13744-017-0582-3

The predatory mirid bug
Dicyphus hesperus
Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a native North America species with high potential as biological control agent of the potato psyllid,
Bactericera cockerelli
Sulcer (Hemiptera: Triozidae), which is a major solanaceous pest. Olfactory responses of
D. hesperus
to volatiles from plants infested with the potato psyllid and the effect of foraging experience on search efficacy were studied. Using a Y-tube olfactometer, we found that naïve females had no preference in choice tests between either uninfested tomato plants, or
Ephestia kuehniella
Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs-infested plants, and clean air. Naïve females showed an innate positive response to
B. cockerelli
-infested plants, but no preference when given a choice between uninfested tomato plants and
E. kuehniella
eggs-infested plants. However, females with experience of foraging on
B. cockerelli
-infested plants showed a strong preference for
B. cockerelli
-infested plants (78% response) in choice tests with uninfested tomato plants and
E. kuehniella
eggs-infested plants. Implications of learning for augmentative biological control are discussed.