Abstract
Water content and percentage of total body water (TBW) lost as a function of time was determined for four common predators in the peanut agroecosystem that may feed on the lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). TBW loss by Geocoris punctipes (Say) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Reduviolus roseipennis Reuter (Hemiptera: Nabidae), and Oxyopes salticus Hentz (Aranae: Oxyopidae) increased linearly with desiccation time, but for workers of Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), it increased as a curvilinear function of desiccation time. Mortality of insects in a 24-h period was 69.4 and 80.6% for nymphal and adult G. punetipes, 16.7 and 58.1% for nymphal and adult R. roseipennis, 100% for S. invieta workers, and 14.7 and 13.0% for nymphal and adult O. saltieus. These high mortalities suggest that the lesser cornstalk borer is better able to survive xeric conditions than some of its common predators.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
