Abstract
Previous work has shown thatAbax parallelepipedus Piller & Mitterpacher preys upon slugs in the field, and can be effectively employed to control slugs in polythene tunnels. To be a viable biological control agent this carabid must also be amenable to mass culturing. Manipulation of the substrate ensured that eggs were laid in soil capsules, but deposited in peat, facilitating collection and monitoring. Up to 570 eggs per beetle were laid at 20°C. No cannibalism was exhibited at any stage by this species. Larvae were reared intensively in batches and fed ad libitum on live earthworms, eliminating the need for regular feeding and the removal of decaying food. Rearing experiments were undertaken under a number of different temperature regimes. At constant 20°C it was found that growth was arrested in some 2nd instar larvae for long periods. Co-ordinated changes between 2nd and 3rd instar stages were induced by reduction of the temperature to 14°C between days 24–31 from hatching. The complete life cycle, from newly laid egg to adult beetle, could be reduced to less than 110 days. Mortality was greatest at the late 3rd instar and pre-pupal stages, and possible reasons for this are discussed.
Résumé
Des travaux précédents ont montré qu'Abax parallelepipedus Piller & Mitterpacher est un prédateur de limaces sur le terrain et peut être employé efficacement pour leur contrôle dans les tunnels en polyéthylène. Pour que la lutte biologique soit réalisable, ce carabe doit aussi pouvoir être produit massivement. La préparation du substrat garantit que les oeufs soient pondus dans des boulettes de terre, mais déposés dans de la tourbe, ce qui facilite la récolte et la surveillance. Un carabe peut pondre jusqu'à 570 oeufs/femelle, à une température constante de 20 °C. Quel que soit le stade de développement de cette espèce, aucun cannibalisme n'a été observé. Les larves sont élevées intensivement en groupes et nourriesad libitum de vers de terre vivants, ce qui élimine ainsi la nécessité d'apporter régulièrement les aliments et de retirer la nourriture en décomposition. Les expériences d'élevage ont été menées à differents régimes de températures. A une température constante de 20 °C, la croissance s'arrête pendant une longue période chez plusieurs larves de deuxième stade. La réduction de température à 14 °C, durant les 24 à 31 jours après l'éclosion, induit la synchronisation des passages du deuxième au troisième stade larvaire. Le cycle de vie complet, depuis la ponte de l'oeuf jusqu'au carabe adulte, peut être réduit à moins de 110 jours. La mortalité est la plus élevée à la fin du troisième stade larvaire et au stade pré-pupal, et les causes possibles en sont discutées.
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Symondson, W.O.C. The potential ofAbax parallelepipedus (Col.: Carabidae) for mass breeding as a biological control agent against slugs. Entomophaga 39, 323–333 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02373037
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02373037