title: Predation by generalist arthropod predators on Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae): molecular gut-content analysis and field-cage assessment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The mirid bug Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) is a principal pest of cotton that also causes great damage to many other crops in China. A study was conducted to assess the mortality of A. lucorum from generalist arthropod predators using both molecular methods and a field-cage trial. The species-specific primer pair for the detection of A. lucorum tissues in predators was designed according to the sequences of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2096 generalist predators that consisted of ladybeetles, lacewings and spiders were collected, and A. lucorum remains were detected using the designed primers. Only 1.6% of these predators contained A. lucorum DNA, with the highest positive proportion (6.1%) for Harmonia axyridis larvae. In the field-cage experiment, the daily predation rates of second-instar A. lucorum nymphs by H. axyridis adults and larvae were 4.7 and 5.2% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overall low positive proportion of generalist predators with A. lucorum DNA detected using the molecular method, combined with the low predation rate in the field-cage experiment, indicated that the primary generalist predators likely had a limited role in the suppression of A. lucorum in the field. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.|State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.|Institute of Plant Protection, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China.
authors.forename: Hongsheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Haibin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yanhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D020387:Food Chain; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D009758:Nymph / Q000502:physiology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011235:Predatory Behavior
keywords: Miridae; cotton; field-cage trial; generalist predators; species-specific primers