The predation rate of unmated and mated females of Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) was evaluated on different densities of Alabama argillacea (Huebner) caterpillars (50 ± 10 mg), in laboratory and field conditions. In the laboratory, the predator females were maintained in 500 ml plastic jars with five different densities of prey (one, two, four, eight, and 16). In the field, caterpillars at the same densities were caged on flowering cotton plants. Under both conditions, females gained weight and increased the predation rate when the availability of prey increased, although higher values were obtained for females kept in the laboratory. Weight gain and predation rate did not differ between unmated and mated females under both conditions. In the field, P. nigrispinus searched 94.7% of the available foliar area under low prey density, and 21.2% under high prey density. The estimated handling time and attack rate were, respectively, 3.37 ± 0,82h and 0.076 ± 0.013h-1 in the laboratory, and 3.33 ± 0.93h and 0.017 ± 0.003h-1 in the field. The functional response corresponded to a type II for both conditions. The number of killed caterpillars observed and estimated by the model were highly correlated for both laboratory (r = 0.78) and field (r = 0.70) conditions.
Biological control; stinkbug predator; cotton leafworm; functional response; Alabama argillacea
