دراسة بعض المعطيات الحياتية البيولوجية و الكفاءة الافتراسية للمفترس Acletoxenus formosus (Loew, 1864)‎ كمفترس للذباب الأبيض Aleyrodes proletella (L.)‎ على نبات الملفوف تحت الظروف المخبرية

Abstract EN

This study aimed to evaluate the predation efficacy of Acletoxenus formosus (Loew, 1864) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) as a predator of the cabbage whitefly, Aleyrodes proletella L.

(Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) under laboratory conditions.

The predator was collected from the whitefly infestations in cabbage fields, as larvae and pupae, from Al-Bassa region at Lattakia, Syria during the 2014-2015 growing season.

Results obtained showed that the average length was 0.44, 0.79, 2.23, 3.6, 2.19 and 2.23 mm for egg, first, second, third larval instars, pupae, adult male and female, respectively.

The developmental durations of egg, larvae and pupae were 3.33, 10.95 and 7.95 days, respectively, and 22.25 day for the total development period of the predator.

The average fecundity was 64.86 eggs/female, and 5.7 eggs/female/day during female’s life.

The predation efficacy of A.

formosus under the laboratory conditions reached 31.62 nymphs/larva, with average consumption during the larval stage of 2.84 nymphs/larva/day.

The use of this predator as a biological agent of whitefly can be achieved through mass rearing and early release in the field when the whitefly population is still at its low density