Influence of five aphid species on development and reproduction of Propylaea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Propylaea japonica is one of the most promising biological control agents in northern China. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the preimaginal development, immature survival, reproduction, longevity and fecundity of the ladybeetle, P. japonica, when reared on five different aphids species, Aphis gossypii Glover, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Aphis craccivora Koch, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) and Chaitophorus populeti (Panzer) and to quantify their relative suitability as prey. The results of the study indicate that the pre-adult development was shorter (9.9 ± 0.1 days) when fed on A. craccivora but was the longest (13.5 ± 0.2 days) on A. pisum. Immature survival, adult emergence, growth index, development rate, male and female longevity, oviposition period, and fecundity were maximal when P. japonica were fed on A. gossypii. In contrast these biological parameters were minimal on A. pisum. The ladybird adult's fresh weight was maximal after feeding on A. gossypii and minimal on A. pisum. Further analysis revealed linear relationships between rate of development and weight of adult females; and longevity and fecundity of adult females. The results of the present study suggest the order of suitability of aphid species for P. japonica is A. gossypii > A. craccivora > M. persicae > C. populeti > A. pisum. The present study further propose that either the mass-rearing of P. japonica in the laboratory can be carried out by supplying the best food or the understanding its relative abundance in the field in relation to the availability of different prey species.

Highlights► We investigated the biology of Proplyaea japonica feeding on five aphid species. ► The aphids were Myzus persicae, Aphis gossypii, Aphis craccivora, Acyrthosiphon pisum and Chaitophorus populeti. ► The suitability of the aphids for the beetle is A. gossypii > A. craccivora > M. persicae > C. populeti > A. pisum.