Valbon W R, Haddi K, Gutiérrez Y, Cruz F M, Azevedo K E X, Perez Campos J S, Salaro A L, Oliveira E E
Depto de Entomologia, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brasil.
Current address: Dept of Entomology, Michigan State Univ, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Neotrop Entomol. 2019 Dec;48(6):899-908. doi: 10.1007/s13744-019-00710-8. Epub 2019 Aug 24.
Understanding the life cycle and dietary requirements of laboratory-reared insects is critical for optimizing resources (including time) and can provide more reliable ecological basis for using such biological control agents in realistic programs. Here, we evaluated the complete development and the predatory abilities of Belostoma anurum (Herrich-Schäffer, 1848) (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae), an aquatic predator widely distributed in Neotropical region, when reared at different diets. We firstly investigated the predatory performance of B. anurum nymphs upon mosquito larvae (i.e., larvae of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1758) or Culex sp. (Diptera: Culicidae)) and, second, whether the immature diets (i.e., arthropod-based diet (mosquito larvae and adults of Notonectidae) or vertebrate (fish larvae)-based diet) affect the predatory behavior of B. anurum adults. The B. anurum egg-to-adult developmental time was 85.1 days in an arthropod-based diet. However, when a fish-based diet was offered after nymphs reached 3rd instar, we recorded up to 50% reductions on the B. anurum developmental time. Interestingly, B. anurum adults could live more than 1 year under laboratory conditions, independently of the immature diet regime. Furthermore, the fish diet-experienced B. anurum adults spent less time feeding on fish larvae when compared with adults that never experienced this type of diet. Predatory results revealed that 2nd instar B. anurum were more efficient to catch and consume larvae of A. aegypti than of Culex sp. Collectively, our findings show that B. anurum is long-lived aquatic predators, and demonstrate the impacts of dietary regime on the life history traits and predatory performance of these insects.
了解实验室饲养昆虫的生命周期和饮食需求对于优化资源（包括时间）至关重要，并且可以为在实际项目中使用此类生物防治剂提供更可靠的生态依据。在此，我们评估了在不同饮食条件下饲养的宽肩水蝽（Belostoma anurum (Herrich-Schäffer, 1848)，半翅目：负子蝽科）的完整发育过程和捕食能力，宽肩水蝽是一种广泛分布于新热带地区的水生捕食者。我们首先研究了宽肩水蝽若虫对蚊虫幼虫（即埃及伊蚊（Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1758)）或库蚊属（Culex sp.，双翅目：蚊科）幼虫）的捕食性能，其次研究了幼虫期饮食（即以节肢动物为基础的饮食（蚊虫幼虫和仰泳蝽成虫）或脊椎动物（鱼类幼虫）为基础的饮食）是否会影响宽肩水蝽成虫的捕食行为。以节肢动物为基础的饮食条件下，宽肩水蝽从卵到成虫的发育时间为85.1天。然而，若虫达到3龄后提供以鱼类为基础的饮食时，我们记录到宽肩水蝽的发育时间最多减少了50%。有趣的是，在实验室条件下，宽肩水蝽成虫可以存活超过1年，与幼虫期饮食制度无关。此外，与从未经历过此类饮食的成虫相比，经历过鱼类饮食的宽肩水蝽成虫捕食鱼类幼虫的时间更少。捕食结果显示，2龄宽肩水蝽捕食埃及伊蚊幼虫比捕食库蚊属幼虫更高效。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明宽肩水蝽是寿命较长的水生捕食者，并证明了饮食制度对这些昆虫的生活史特征和捕食性能的影响。
