Biology and fecundity of Ceraeochrysa valida (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) reared on Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)

The trash-carrying larvae of Ceraeochrysa valida (Banks) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) have been found preying on the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, in diverse citrus regions of Mexico.  Presently, there are different efforts of the Mexican government to control populations of D. citri, as it vectors Candidatus Liberibacter spp., the putative agent of Huanglongbing, a disastrous disease that invaded Mexico during 2009. In order to contribute to the assessment of the potential of this predator as a biological control agent of the vector, we studied the life cycle and population parameters of C. valida reared on D. citri nymphs under laboratory conditions (24±2ºC, 60-65% RH, 16:8 (L:D) h). The biology and life tables were constructed starting with five cohorts of recently oviposited eggs. The fecundity was obtained from 10 females. The total life cycle of the predator was completed on an average of 35 days; the incubation period for eggs was five days with a survival of 94%. Only 71% of larvae reached the adult stage. The overall survival declined 0.64% each day. The fecundity (m_x) was estimated as 158 eggs/female, with an average of 4.59 eggs/female/day. The net reproductive rate (R_o) was 71.23 females/female/generation; the intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) was 0.2090 daughters/female/day; the finite rate of increase (λ) was 1.23 individuals/day and the generation time (T) was 20.40 days. These values are in the range of parameters previously reported for diverse Ceraeochrysa species. The results suggest potential of C. valida for use in the biological control of D. citri.