Response of Oligota kashmirica benefica, a specialist insect predator of spider mites, to volatiles from prey‐infested leaves under both laboratory and field conditions

Abstract

AbstractWe investigated the response of the specialist insect predator Oligota kashmirica benefica (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) to volatiles from lima bean leaves infested with the spider mite Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), both in a Y‐tube olfactometer and in a field in Kyoto, Japan. Adult male and female predators were significantly more attracted to T. urticae‐infested leaves than to clean air. Adult male and female predators were not more attracted to uninfested leaves, artificially damaged leaves, or the spider mites and their visible products when compared to clean air. In a field trap experiment, 12 adult predators were caught in three traps containing T. urticae‐infested lima bean plants over 13 days, whereas no adult predators were trapped in three traps containing uninfested lima bean plants during the same period. These results showed that O. kashmirica benefica adults responded to herbivore‐induced plant volatiles from T. urticae‐infested lima bean leaves under both laboratory and field conditions.