Predation of Striped Lynx Spider, Oxyopes salticus (Araneae: Oxyopidae), on Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris (Heteroptera: Miridae): a Laboratory Evaluation

Abstract

Oxyopes salticus Hentz is an important member of the predatory community within and adjacent to row crops in the United States. Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) is a major pest of crops in most areas of North America. A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine relationship of predatory success to size of the spider and size of the plant bug. Predation success was inversely related to prey size across all predator sizes. After exposure for 24 h, all spider size classes had high predation values (36–92%) for small (first-second instar) plant bug nymphs, intermediate values (32–68%) for medium-sized (third instar) nymphs, and low predation values (8–52%) for large (fifth instar) nymphs. Significant increases in predation from 24 to 48 h occurred only with small spiders exposed to small- and medium-sized plant bugs. Low predation success may be due both to difficulty in prey capture and to satiation after one or more successful prey captures.