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Determining the frequency of heteropteran predation on sweetpotato whitefly and pink bollworm using multiple ELISAs
Author(s) -
Hagler James R.,
Naranjo Steve E.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/j.1570-7458.1994.tb01802.x
Subject(s) - biology , whitefly , predation , pink bollworm , botany , ecology , larva
The gut contents of field‐collected, predaceous Heteroptera were assayed for the presence of eggs of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) using multiple enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Of seven species examined, Geocoris species and Orius tristicolor (Say) were the most frequent predators of sweetpotato whitefly with 32–39% of the individuals tested over the whole season scoring positive for whitefly antigens. With the exception of Lygus hesperus Knight, a major insect pest as well as a predator, the frequency of predation on pink bollworm eggs was much lower (0.7–14.3% positive over the season). Relatively few predators tested positive for both antigens (0.3–12.5%).