The FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST (ISSN 0015-4040) Volume 62, No. ..} December, 1979 TABLE OF CONTENTS HYDORN, S. B., AND W. H. WHITCOMB-Effects of Larval Diet on Chrysopa rufilabris . 293 COSCARON, S., AND G. B. FAIRCHILD-Identity of Silvius rufipes 298 COSCARON, S., C. B. PHILIP, AND G. B. FAIRCHILD-Further Notes on the Pangoniini of the Austral Region of South America (Diptera: Tabanidae) ._____________ .. 301 LANCIANI, C. A.-A New Species of Water Mite Parasitizing the Back- swimmer Buenoa scimitra __ . ._ ...___________ 304 SCHROEDER, W. J., R. A. HAMLEN, AND J. B. BEAVERs-Survival of Diaprepes abbreviatus Larvae on Selected Native and Orna- mental Florida Plants _.__.__ .___________________________ 309 MUCHMORE, W. B.-Pseudoscorpions from Plorida and the Caribbean Area. 8. A New Species of Bituberochernes from the Virgin Islands (Chernetidae) . ._ .. .______________________ 313 MUCHMORE, W. B.-Pseudoscorpions from Florida and the Caribbean Area. 9. Typhloronchus, a New Genus from the Virgin Islands (ldeoroncidae) .-_.._. ._______________________________________________ 317 MUMA, M. H.-Arid-Grassland Solpugid Population Variations in Southwestern New Mexico 320 FRANK, J. H.-A New Species of Proteinus Latreille (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from Florida .__________________ . ._________ 329 FROST, S. W.-A Preliminary Study of North American Insects Asso- ciated with Elderberry Blossoms _____________________________________. ._ 341 REGAS-WILLIAMS, K. A., AND D. H. HABECK-Life History of a Poison- Ivy Sawfly Arge humeralis (Beauvois) (Hymenoptera: Argidae) ---_ __ .. _ _. _.. .. _.____________ 356 ROHANI, I. B., AND H. L. CROMROY-Taxonomy and Distribution of Chiggers (Acarina: Trombiculidae) in Northcentral Florida __ .__ 363 LESTON, D.-The Species of Dagbertus (Hemiptera: Miridae) Asso­ ciated with Avocado in Florida -------_.________________________________ 376 HOWARD, F. W.-Studies of the Host Plant Suitability of Ardisia solanaceae and Citrus jambhiri for Citrus Blackfly and Cit'rus Whitefly ------------------------------------------------- ..--------_ .. ... 380 Continued on Back Cover An International Journal Published by The Florida Entomological Society THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS FOR 1979-80 President _ N. C. Leppla Vice-President _ E. C. Beck Secretary __ F. W. Mead Treasurer D. P. Wojcik R. F. Brooks R. E. Brown Other Members of Executive Committee ............... { R. H. Maltby C. A. Musgrave W. L. Peters PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Editor _ __ _ __ C. A. Musgrave Associate Editors _ _ A. B. Hamon J. E. Lloyd J. R. McLaughlin C. W. McCoy H. V. Weems, Jr. Business Manager__ _ _______ D. P. Wojcik THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST is issued quarterly-March, June, Septem­ ber, and December. Subscription price to non-members is $15.00 per year in advance, $3.75 per copy. Membership in the Florida Entomological Society, including subscription to The Florida Entomologist, is $10 per year for regular membership and $2 per year for students. Inquiries regarding membership and subscriptions should be addressed to the Business Manager, P. O. Box 12425, University Station, Gainesville, FL 32604. The Florida Entomologist is entered as second class matter at the Post Office in DeLeon Springs and Gainesville, FL. Authors should consult "Instructions to Authors" on the inside cover of all recent issues while preparing manuscripts or notes. When submitting a paper or note to the Editor, please send the original manuscript, original figures and tables, and 3 copies of the entire paper. Upon receipt, manu­ scripts and notes are acknowledged by the Editor and assigned to an ap­ propriate Associate Editor who will make every effort to recruit peer re­ viewers not employed by the same agency or institution as the author (s) . Reviews from individuals working out-of-state or in nearby countries (e. g. Canada, Mexico, and others) will be obtained where possible. Manuscripts and other editorial n;mtter should be sent to the Editor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, Archer Road Lab-Building 339, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611. Business matters for other Society officers can be sent to that individual at the University Station address above. This issue mailed November 29,1979 Hydorn & Whitcomb: Chrysopa Larval Diets 293 EFFECTS OF LARVAL DIET ON CHRYSOPA RUFILABRISl S. B. HYDORN AND W. H. WHITCOMB Department of Entomology University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 ABSTRACT Larvae of the polyphagouG predator Chrysopa nLfilab10 is Burmeister were reared at constant temperature on several prey regimes including: Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera), Drosophila mclanogaster lVIeigan (Diptera), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera), and several aphid species. As adults the test lacewings were all maintained on a similar diet comprised of a water paste of Wheast® and sucrose. Larval diet sig­ nificantly affected larval mortality, developmental rate, and adult weight, but did not affect adult body length. Under the test conditions, the aphid and Phthorimaea regimes were superior to either Drosophila or Tribolium as larval diets for C. rufilabris. Apparently, prey species which stimulate a high feeding rate in C. rufilabris may even so be nutritionally inadequate. Chrysopids, or green lacewings, are important predators of arthropods in various crops, both in the context of indigenous natural enemies as well as in inundative release programs (Doutt and Hagen 1950, Lingren et al. 1968, Ridgway and Kinzer 1974, Whitcomb and Bell 1964). Hydorn (1971) found that Chrysopa rufilabris Burmeister, a lacewing distributed throughout much of the United States and into Canada, was abundant in the vicinity of Gainesville, FL, where it occurred commonly in citrus, cereal, forage and row crops. The major predatory impact of this species occurs during the larval stage, the larvae preying on a wide spectrum of soft-bodied insects and other arthropods (Ewing and Ivy 1943; Griffiths 1951; Putman 1937, 1955; Smith 1922; Wilson and Simberloff 1969). Putman (1932, 1937) found that C. rufilabris reared on certain prey species thrived better than it did on others, in terms of larval survival and development rate. Thompson (1951) stressed the importance of investigating host specificity of predacious insects, and it is increasingly apparent that polyphagous predators are more specific in their host relations than was formerly believed (Hagen et al. 1976). Clearly, investigations of the effects of different prey species on predator development and reproduction are prerequisites for successful utilization of these predators in biological control programs. The present study evaluates performance of C. rufilabris on several larval prey regimes in terms of juvenile mortality, developmental rate, adult size, and longevity and fecundity of adult females. METHODS AND MATERIALS Chrysopa rufilabris was reared and maintained as described by Hydorn 'Neuroptera: Chrysopidae. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 1334. 294 The Florida Entomologist 62 (4) December, 1979 and Whitcomb (1972). To minimize error due to variation in parental diet, progeny of field collected lacewings were maintained on a larval diet of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and their progeny (F2) were used as the test specimens. The F 1 adults were maintained in groups of 15 or fewer specimens per adult maintenance unit and were fed an artificial diet of Wheast®, sucrose, and sufficient water to give a paste consistency. Eggs produced within 3 weeks following the onset of oviposition were removed from the adult units at 48 h intervals and placed individually in 7 dram plastic snap-cap vials for rearing. Upon eclosion, the F 2 larvae were randomly placed on these prey regimes in the numbers indicated: Drosophila melanogaster adults freshly killed by freezing (n = 34), pupae and prepupae of Tribolium castaneum (n = 85), Phthorimaea operculella eggs and coddled mature larvae (Doutt and Finney 1947) (n = 42), and nymphs and adults of the aphids Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Aphis spiraecola Patch, A. rhamni Fonscolombe, and A. craccivora Koch (total reared on aphids = 56). The test specimens were maintained in a controlled light and temperature chamber under conditions of 14 h L: 10 h D, and 26 ± 2°C. Humidity was kept more or less uniform among the various diet treatments with the in­ clusion of moist cellu-cotton in vials with the drier prey types, Drosophila and Tribolium (Hydorn 1971). Prey was provided in excess amounts and was renewed as necessary at 12 to 48 h intervals until the onset of cocoon produc­ tion. Immediately following emergence from the cocoon, adults were sexed and weighed on an automatic analytic balance, and body length from labrum to abdominal apex was measured against a straight edge. Females were coded with acrylic paint on the wings to allow identification of individual speci­ mens. Test adults were confined in adult maintenance units and fed Wheast®­ based artificial diet. To permit mating and facilitate handling, adults were maintained together in small bisexual groups of 5 or fewer specimens per unit, segregated according to larval diet. Adults were transferred to new units at 24 to 48 h intervals, depending on number of eggs deposited. Daily fecundity rate for each female in units containing more than 1 female was estimated by dividing the number of eggs deposited/day by an estimated number of females ovipositing each day. Additional information concerning procedures is given by Hydorn (1971). Statistical methods are