UNNATURAL PREY AND ARTIFICIAL DIETS FOR REARING PODISUS-MACULIVENTRIS(HETEROPTERA, PENTATOMIDAE)

Development and reproduction of the predatory pentatomid Podisus macul iventris (Say) was assessed on three types of unnatural prey and two p resentation systems of an artificial diet. Predator nymphs developed f aster on pupae of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L., than on la rvae of the beetle or caterpillars of the greater wax moth, Galleria m ellonella L., but nymphal survival and adult weights were similar on a ll prey tested. Females reared on wax moth larvae, however, produced a bout twice as many eggs (i.e., ca. 1000 eggs per female) as those fed on larvae or pupae of the tenebrionid. Overall performance of P. macul iventris on two presentation methods of an oligidic artificial diet ba sed on bovine meat was inferior to that on live prey. Packaging the me at diet in stretched Parafilm sheets yielded better results than a gel led form of the diet. Female predators reared on the artificial diets were significantly smaller than those produced on live prey, but had a fecundity similar to that of females fed on larvae or pupae of T. mol itor. The practical value of the different foods for the mass rearing of P. maculiventri is discussed. (C) 1998Academic Press.