Diet breadth of the aphid predator Chrysoperla rufilabris Burmeister (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

The performance (development and reproduction) of generalist predators can vary greatly among the prey species that they use, and these differences can influence the ability of predatory insects to suppress pest populations. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister, 1839) by offering 16 species of aphids and by assessing the effects of each species on the survival, larval development time, prey consumption, pupal mass and egg load of adult Chr. rufilabris females taking aphid phylogeny into account. Chrysoperla rufilabris larvae preyed on individuals from all 16 aphid species, but complete development, adult emergence and egg load production were achieved only in seven species. As a general pattern, the best levels of performance were achieved for an aphid clade that includes the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines (Matsumara, 1917), and for a milkweed-feeding species, Myzocallis asclepiadis (Monell, 1879). We found significant phylogenetic clustering for most of the performance traits indicating the aspects of specialization in the diet breadth of Chr. rufilabris despite the fact that this species is considered a generalist aphid predator. These findings can help us to understand the interactions of this species in agroecological food webs, where it is commonly found, and provide insights into why natural, conservation biological control or augmentative releases may succeed or fail.

Automated summary

This study compared the performance of larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla rufilabris when offered 16 species of aphids. The findings showed that only seven species of aphids supported complete development and egg production for the lacewing larvae. The best performance was achieved when feeding on aphid species including the soybean aphid and the milkweed-feeding species. Despite being considered a generalist aphid predator, there were indications of specialization in the diet breadth of Chrysoperla rufilabris.