Development and Reproduction of the Mirid Bug, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis (Heteroptera : Miridae) and Its Functional Response to the Brown Planthopper

Abstract

The development, longevity, fertility, of the mirid Cyrtorhinus lividipennis and its predation on the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, were studied in a laboratory condition. The developmental period was 20 days with usually five instars. The adult longevity, fertility and the intrinsic rate of increase were higher when the mirid was fed with BPH eggs than without BPH eggs. The functional responses of the mirid to both egg and 1st-instar nymph of BPH were well described by a HOLLING'S (1959) type-II. The maximum number of BPH eggs eaten per day was 22, 18, and 6 by the female, male and 3rd-instar nymph of the mirid, respectively. The instantaneous search rate a and the handling time h, changed depending on the mirid age. BPH eggs were preferred to nymphs by the mirid.