Effect of Temperature and Prey Quality on Aphid-Predator Interrelations in Two Spiders Associated with Aphids on Legumes and Cereal Crops in Egypt

Ibraheem, Manal H.; Shanbaky, Nawal M.; Helmy, Nadia; El-Erksousy, Mohammed H.; Abo-zaed, Amal E.; Yousery, Ayat

doi:10.21608/eajbsa.2021.158600

Effect of Temperature and Prey Quality on Aphid-Predator Interrelations in Two Spiders Associated with Aphids on Legumes and Cereal Crops in Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Plant Protection Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center

² Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University

³ Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University

10.21608/eajbsa.2021.158600

Abstract

The effect of temperature and prey quality of aphid species life, stage and their basic nutritional components on food consumption, predation rate and duration of development of spiderlings of Thanatus albini reared on a monotypic diet of immatures or adult females of each of Aphis craccivora and Rhopalosiphum maidis were studied at 3 different temperatures of 15, 27 and 35±2˚C and RH of 60-70%. Also, effects of the prey quality of the monotypic diet of each aphid on the tested parameters were studied in spiderlings of Thomisus spinifer and on reproduction in adult females of both spider species at 27˚C.
Of the three tested temperatures, 27˚C was considered as the optimum temperature for aphid consumption and predation rate of spiderlings of Th. albini when fed on each of the two aphid species, due to increasing the two parameters and prolonging spiderling durations. Also, life, development of spiderlings and female reproduction of each of Th. albini and T. spinifer were maintained and completed at the optimum temperature of 27 by feeding on immatures or adult female aphids (except the first three spiderlings) of each of A. craccivora and R. maidis in Th. albini and only of R. maidis in T. spinifer.
The two spider species showed efficacy as predators, consuming higher numbers of immatures than adults of each of the two aphid species with more consumption of A. craccivora than R. maidis in Th. albini and only of R. maidis in T. spinifer with the refusal of feeding on A. craccivora. The number of consumed aphids by each spider species was increased by increasing the age of the spiderling stage.
Quantitative analysis of the basic nutritional components showed a higher concentration of total protein and carbohydrate in adult females than immatures of each aphid species but no significant difference between each of the immatures and adult females of the two aphid species. The significance of the obtained results was discussed.

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