Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0983
ISSN: 2161-0983
Jeyaparvathi and S. S. Baskaran
Accepted Abstracts: Entomol Ornithol Herpetol
Spiders have a wide insect host range and thus can act as biological control agents of insect pests in agro-ecosystems. In the present study, the four species of web weaving spiders like ( Peucetia viridana (Stolizcka), Argiope anasuja (Thorell), Peucetia viridans (Hentz) and Lycosa pseudoannulata (Bosenberg) were predominant in the okra fields of Srivilliputhur, Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, India, which are capable of controlling okra pests. The selected four species of spiders were collected from the okra fields of Srivilliputhur. These were determined during the 2012 cropping season. Effects of the spiders on these okra pests were studied under laboratory conditions (32�C, 65% RH and photoperiod of 13:12 (L: D hours). The predatory potential of four spider species such as., P. viridana, A. anasuja, P. viridians and L. pseudoannulata (Bosenberg) were evaluated on three okra pests ( Mylabris pustulata (Thunberg), Dysdercus cingulatus (Fab.) and Leafhopper) and daily rate of feeding and host preference were recorded for ten days. Results indicated that the maximum predation was recorded in P. viridana on okra pests.