QUALITATIVE SURVEY OF 2 COLEOPTERAN PREDATORS OF BEMISIA-TABACI (HOMOPTERA, ALEYRODIDAE) AND PECTINOPHORA-GOSSYPIELLA (LEPIDOPTERA, GELECHIIDAE) USING A MULTIPLE PREY GUT CONTENT ELISA

A multiple serodiagnostic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MS ELISA) is described that facilitated the simultaneous examination of insect predation on two economically important cotton pests, Bemisia tabaci ( Gennadius) and Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders). Using this MS ELIS A in combination with specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to both B. tabaci and P. gossypiella, we assayed 663 collops beetles, Collops vi ttatus (Say), and 613 convergent ladybird beetles, Hippodamia converge ns Guerin-Meneville for the presence of prey remains in the gut. A lar ge proportion of each beetle population-tested positive, suggesting th at collops and ladybird beetles are active predators on both B. tabaci and P. gossypiella. The advantages and limitations of our multiple pr ey gut content assay (MS ELISA) are discussed.