Predation of Gasteracantha Cancriformis (Arachnidae: Araneidae) Eggs in Florida Citrus Groves by Phalacrotophora Epeirae (Insecta: Phoridae) and Arachnophaga Ferruginea (Insecta: Eupelmidae)
Abstract
Predation of 216 egg cases of Gasteracantha cancriformis (L.) collected from more than 20 groves involved 48.2% of the cases: 43.7% by the phorid, Phalacrotophora epeirae (Brues), 3.2% by the eupelmid, Arachnophaga ferruginea Gahan, and 1.3% by unidentifiable predators. The phorid completed development in 2 to 4 weeks with a mean attack rate of 17 larvae per egg case. The eupelmid completed development in 3 to 6 weeks with a mean attack rate of 12 larvae per egg case. A hyperparasitic eulophid, Tetrastichus sp., emerged from the pupae of the phorid. The attack rate of this hyperparasite was not determined but 70% of the spider egg cases attacked by the phorid also produced the eulophid. Spider egg destruction was not always complete in predated cases but the predator-parasite complex unquestionably reduces populations of this spider.Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.
