Title
Mating behavior of the predator Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) under exposure to neem
Other title
Comportamiento de apareamiento del depredador Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) expuesto al neem
Date Issued
01 January 2012
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universidad Federal de Viçosa
Publisher(s)
Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA
Abstract
The preservation of natural enemies is one of the basic foundations for integrated pest management. Botanical insecticides have shown low impact on beneficial arthropods in relation to survival. Insecticides studies usually focus on the direct physiological effects of insecticides, whereas relatively little attention is placed on the behavioral response to exposure. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the botanical insecticide neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.; Meliaceae) on the mating behavior of the predatory stinkbug Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Unmated 5 to 7 d-old adults, separate by sex, were exposed to azadirachtin per contact on the treated surface. The treatments were composed for: untreated male and female; untreated male and treated female; treated male and untreated female; and treated male and female. Azadirachtin affected the duration of first mating (Wilcoxon test, χ2 = 13.38, df = 3, p = 0.004), which resulted in a higher effective average time of mating (EATM50) for treatment whose only female was treated with azadirachtin. This finding points to a sublethal effect of azadirachtin on mating behavior of P. nigrispinus that may compromise its reproduction.
Start page
523
End page
527
Volume
72
Issue
4
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84877350314
Source
Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research
ISSN of the container
07185820
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus