THE ARTHROPOD PREDATORS OF ANT-MIMETIC AND APOSEMATIC PREY - A SEROLOGICAL ANALYSIS

1. ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay) was used to identify the arthropod predators of two common herbivores of a desert lupine: the a posematic plant bug Lopidea nigridea and the ant-mimetic plant bug Coq uillettia insignis. 2. Despite the fact that the prey are closely rela ted, the two antisera were sufficiently specific to distinguish betwee n the antigen against which they were formed and the antigen of the ot her species: both antisera were 3 times as reactive against their homo logous antigen as they were against their heterologous antigen. 3. In tests on gut contents of field-collected predators, ELISA results were generally consistent with laboratory no-choice data for the five most common arthropod species on lupine: there was a strong correlation be tween attack rates for each predator-prey pair as measured in the labo ratory, and per cent positive reactions in ELISA as measured using fie ld-collected predators. In particular, L.nigridea antiserum was shown to be significantly less reactive against the crab spider Xysticus mon tanensis when compared to C.insignis antiserum, paralleling results of laboratory no-choice experiments. 4. The usefulness of serological an alysis as a tool for arthropod trophic link identification is discusse d.