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Performance of the tiger-fly Coenosia attenuata Stein reared on the alternative prey, Chironomus plumosus (L.) larvae in coir substrate

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Abstract

The performance of the tiger-fly Coenosia attenuata Stein was examined when fed on larvae of the buzzer midge, Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus), and combination of buzzer midge and fungus gnat, Bradysia impatiens (Johannsen). Significant differences were observed in the developmental time of larvae, body length, and body weight of pupae and adults of C. attenuata in response to species and preservation status of prey but not in response to instar and prey number of C. plumosus. Most biological characteristics except for developmental time of pupae, length of female pupae, survival rate from the 5th day to pupation, and adult emergence improved for tiger-fly larvae fed on live B. impatiens larvae in the first four days and live C. plumosus larvae from the fifth day to pupation compared to those fed on live C. plumosus larvae in all larval stages. When live alternative prey were replaced with the frozen prey, the developmental time of larvae was prolonged, and adult male body length, survival rate from the fifth day to pupation, and the percentages of pupation and adult emergence decreased. The survival rate of larvae in the first 4 days and percentage of pupation improved with decreased alternative prey instar and increased alternative prey number. These results indicate live C. plumosus larvae can serve as an alternative food source for mass rearing of C. attenuata. As an alternative food source, C. plumosus larvae provide significant advancements for the application of tiger-fly in banker media system and/or open rearing.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Professor Wan-Qi Xue (Shenyang Normal University, China) and Professor Xin-Hua Wang (Nankai University, China) for helping in species identification. Support for this project was provided by National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFD0201000, 2017YFD0201707), Science and Technology Innovation Foundation for Young Scientists of Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (No. 201911) and the USDA Agricultural Research Service Project Insect Biotechnology Products for Pest Control and Emerging Needs in Agriculture (No. 5070-22000-037-00-D). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the USDA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Control of Insects Research Laboratory, Institute of Plant Protection, Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 17 Jinjing Road, Tianjin, 300384, China

    Deyu Zou, Weihong Xu & Jingyang Xu

  2. Biological Control of Insects Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 1503 S. Providence, Res. PK, Columbia, MO, 65203-3535, USA

    Thomas A. Coudron

  3. Agricultural Analysis and Test Center, Tianjin Agricultural University, 22 Jinjing Road, Tianjin, 300384, China

    Huihui Wu

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  1. Deyu Zou
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Correspondence to Huihui Wu.

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Zou, D., Coudron, T.A., Xu, W. et al. Performance of the tiger-fly Coenosia attenuata Stein reared on the alternative prey, Chironomus plumosus (L.) larvae in coir substrate. Phytoparasitica 49, 83–92 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-020-00866-9

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