Biology of Mallada boninensis (Okamato) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on artificial diets Guntupalli Sravanthi*, Kalyanasundaram M. Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003 *Corresponding author Email: sravanthiguntupalli@gmail.com
Online published on 23 October, 2018. Abstract In order to improve the adult artificial diets of M. boninensis (Okamato) in a cost effective manner and to enhance longevity and fecundity an experiment was conducted during 2014. Three combinations of artificial diets (AD1, AD2, AD3) in combination with the standard diet (SD) were evaluated. Females survived for longer period on AD 2 and AD3 compared to others. Hatchability, larval survival and adult emergence were more on AD2 and AD3, which indicated the better suitability of the egg yolk based diet to the predator M. boninensis. Number of eggs laid by a single female M. boninensis was significantly influenced by the different artificial diets tested. Top Keywords Mallada boninensis, adult diets, egg yolk, fecundity, hatchability, larval survival, emergence, longevity, cost effectiveness. Top |