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Assessing the predation dynamics of three coccinellid species on Myzus persicae (Sulzer): a functional response perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2025

Chander Singh Open the ORCID record for Chander Singh [Opens in a new window] ,
Subhash Chander Verma ,
Prem Lal Sharma ,
Vishav Gaurav Singh Chandel ,
Rajeshwar Singh Chandel ,
Nikita Chauhan Open the ORCID record for Nikita Chauhan [Opens in a new window]  and
Anshuman Semwal Open the ORCID record for Anshuman Semwal [Opens in a new window]
Chander Singh*
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, HP, India
Subhash Chander Verma
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, HP, India
Prem Lal Sharma
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, HP, India
Vishav Gaurav Singh Chandel
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, HP, India
Rajeshwar Singh Chandel
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, HP, India
Nikita Chauhan
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun, UK, India
Anshuman Semwal
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, HP, India
*
Corresponding author: Chander Singh; Email: thakurchandersingh008@gmail.com
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Abstract

Understanding of predators functional responses is critical in assessing their efficiency as biological control agents. This study investigates the functional responses of three coccinellid predators Scymnus posticalis Sicard (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Platynaspis saundersi Crotch (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and Pharoscymnus horni Weise (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) against varying densities of the prey aphid, Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) under controlled conditions (25 ± 1°C temperature, 70 ± 5% relative humidity and 14 L:10D photoperiod). Predation trials across different prey densities were performed with these adult coccinellid predators. Logistic regression analysis confirmed a Type II functional response for all the three species used in the experiments. Among the three, S. posticalis showed a superior predatory efficiency, with the highest attack rate (a) (0.0994 h−1), shortest handling time (Th) (0.5016 h) and a maximum theoretical predation rate (K) of 48.76 aphids. P. saundersi and P. horni showed lower predatory parameters, positioning S. posticalis as the most efficient predator. These findings underscore S. posticalis as a promising candidate for biological control of M. persicae, with a clear advantage in predation metrics over P. saundersi (a = 0.0876 h−1; Th = 0.5193 h; K = 48.27 aphids) and P. horni (a = 0.0695 h−1; Th = 0.5316 h; K = 47.97 aphids). However, further field validation is essential to assess its real-world efficacy, considering environmental variability and complex ecological interactions.

Keywords

functional responseMyzus persicaePharoscymnus horniPlatynaspis saundersiScymnus posticalis
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , First View , pp. 1 - 7
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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