First report of Toxomerus dispar (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Syrphidae) preying Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in laboratory

• Published in: Brazilian journal of biology 2017-04, Vol.77 (2), p.420-421
• Main Authors: Campos, T A, Ueda, T E, Zirondi, Filho, D M, Bortolotto, O C, Pasini, A, Morales, M N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Biological control; BIOLOGY; Caterpillars; Corn; Herbivores; Infestation; Insects; Laboratories; Larvae; New records; Nutrient content; Pests; Spodoptera frugiperda; Toxomerus dispar; Viability
• ISSN: 1519-6984; 1678-4375; 1678-4375
• DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.18315

The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is one of the most important pests in Brazilian maize fields that causes damage to approximately 57% of the crop (Cruz et al., 1999). However, several biological control agents occur freely in agroecosystems and are known to suppress the S. frugiperda population (Dequech et al., 2004; Bortolotto et al., 2014). Among the predator insects, hoverflies have been reported to occur in maize fields but are usually associated with aphid infestation (Swaminathan et al., 2015). Thus far, few studies have investigated hoverflies preying on lepidopteran pests, and the spectrum of preys examined is unclear. Toxomerus dispar larvae consumed two caterpillars in 24 h, on average, and the larval viability was found to be 76.7%, which indicated that S. frugiperda caterpillars have high nutrient content and may have facilitated the development of hoverfly larvae. T. dispar larvae that reached the pupal stage were retained in the same Petri dishes until adults emerged.