Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a common generalist predator in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems. We evaluated the lethal effects of six insecticides and a fungicide on M. pygmaeus nymphs exposed to the pesticides through three routes of exposure: direct, residual and oral. Chlorantraniliprole and emamectin-benzoate caused less than 25% mortality to M. pygmaeus and were classified as ...

A study was conducted to examine the influence of the hunger level on the prey consumption of Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera Miridae) at varying densities of Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera Aphididae) through laboratory functional response experiments. Newly emerged adult females of the predator were subjected to 24 or 48 h of prey deprivation on pepper plant, as well as to 48 h only o...

Omnivorous arthropods make dietary choices according to the environment in which they forage, mainly availability/quality of plant and/or prey resources. Such decisions and their subsequent impacts on life-history traits may be affected by the availability of nutrients and water to plants, that is, through bottom-up forces. By setting up arenas for feeding behavior observation as well as glassh...

Can specialist natural enemies persist in ecosystems when competing with omnivorous natural enemies for their shared prey? The consequences of omnivory have been studied theoretically, but empirical studies are still lacking. Omnivory is nevertheless common in nature and omnivorous predators coexist with specialists in many ecosystems, even when they are intraguild predators. This type of assoc...

Tuta absoluta is a major pest attacking tomato crops. This invasive species emerged in Europe (Spain) 2006, and 3 years later it spread to Portugal. In 2009/2010, was recorded for the first time Azores archipelago. Macrolophus pygmaeus predator widely used as biological control agent against leaf miner. study contrasted life-history traits population growth parameters of two feral populations M...

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a major pest of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) crops produced in the Azorean greenhouses. Despite concerns, no systematic study available to describe population dynamics T. and its natural enemies. The objective this was compare abundance (eggs larvae) native enemies, greenhouses under different production modes (biological, traditio...