Abstract
The effect of temperature and prey quality of aphid species life, stage and their basic nutritional components on food consumption, predation rate and duration of development of spiderlings of Thanatus albini reared on a monotypic diet of immatures or adult females of each of Aphis craccivora and Rhopalosiphum maidis were studied at 3 different temperatures of 15, 27 and 35±2˚C and RH of 60-70%. Also, effects of the prey quality of the monotypic diet of each aphid on the tested parameters were studied in spiderlings of Thomisus spinifer and on reproduction in adult females of both spider species at 27˚C. Of the three tested temperatures, 27˚C was considered as the optimum temperature for aphid consumption and predation rate of spiderlings of Th. albini when fed on each of the two aphid species, due to increasing the two parameters and prolonging spiderling durations. Also, life, development of spiderlings and female reproduction of each of Th. albini and T. spinifer were maintained and completed at the optimum temperature of 27 by feeding on immatures or adult female aphids (except the first three spiderlings) of each of A. craccivora and R. maidis in Th. albini and only of R. maidis in T. spinifer. The two spider species showed efficacy as predators, consuming higher numbers of immatures than adults of each of the two aphid species with more consumption of A. craccivora than R. maidis in Th. albini and only of R. maidis in T. spinifer with the refusal of feeding on A. craccivora. The number of consumed aphids by each spider species was increased by increasing the age of the spiderling stage. Quantitative analysis of the basic nutritional components showed a higher concentration of total protein and carbohydrate in adult females than immatures of each aphid species but no significant difference between each of the immatures and adult females of the two aphid species. The significance of the obtained results was discussed.
Highlights
Aphids are a group of the most injurious insect pests of legumes and cereals in Egypt (Ismail et al, 1993 and Ali et al, 2013), sucking the plant nutrients, exuding the harmful honeydew and transmitting diseases to the plant crop leading to a reduction of its yield (ElDefrawi et al.,2000; Ali,2004 and Swaminathan et al, 2016)
Ibraheem (2021) recorded 26 spider species belonging to 20 genera and 10 families, associated with the cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora and the corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis on the broad bean and maize crop, respectively in Qaha research station, Qalubyia governorate, Egypt in two successive years, 2017 and 2018.Thanatus albini (Audouin) (Philiodromidae) was recorded as the most abundant aphidophagous common spider species associated with the two aphid species while Thomisus spinifer (Cambridge) (Thomisidae) was one of the most abundant specific spider species only associated with Rhopalsiphum maidis on maize crop in the studied site
Thanatus albini (Philodromidae) and Thomisus spinifer (Thomisidae) represent two of the most abundant spider families, common and specific species associated with the two aphids, A. craccivora and R. maidis and only with R. maidis, respectively on their host plants at Qaha research station, Qalubyia governorate Egypt for two successive years (Ibraheem, 2021). 1.Effect of Temperature and Prey Quality on Duration, Food Consumption and Predation Rate of Spiderlings of Th
Summary
Aphids are a group of the most injurious insect pests of legumes and cereals in Egypt (Ismail et al, 1993 and Ali et al, 2013), sucking the plant nutrients, exuding the harmful honeydew and transmitting diseases to the plant crop leading to a reduction of its yield (ElDefrawi et al.,2000; Ali,2004 and Swaminathan et al, 2016). Spiders have been considered as potential polyphagous predators which can be used as biological control agents suppressing and regulating (Riechert, 1974; Mansour and Heiewbach, 1993; El-Naggar et al.,1999) population of insects and other agricultural pests by feeding as long-lived robust adults and immatures (Agnew and Smith, 1989) on all life stages of the prey (Nyffeler et al, 1994 and Ibrahim et al, 2012). Th. albini and Th. spinifer were selected to investigate the effect of temperature (15, 27, 35 ̊C) and prey quality of the monotypic diet of the two aphid species A. craccivora and R. maidis, life stages and of their basic nutritional components on food consumption, predation rate and development of spiderlings. Effects of the monotypic diet of aphids on the reproduction of the adult female of the two spiders were tested
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