Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1964 Ecological and Nutritional Studies on Some Predators in Cotton Fields in Louisiana, With Special Reference to Coleomegilla Maculata, De Geer. Yousef Hanna Atallah Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Atallah, Yousef Hanna, "Ecological and Nutritional Studies on Some Predators in Cotton Fields in Louisiana, With Special Reference to Coleomegilla Maculata, De Geer." (1964). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 932. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/932 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This dissertation has been fi4— 13,245 microfilmed exactly as received A T A L L A H , Yousef Hanna, 1936— ECOLOGICAL AND NUTRITIONAL STUDIES ON SOME PREDATORS DM COTTON FIELDS IN IOUISLANA, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE IX) C O L E O M E G I L L A M A C U L A T A DE GEER. Lxiuisiana State University, Ph.D., 1964 Zoology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan ECOLOGICAL AND NUTRITIONAL STUDIES ON SOME PREDATORS IN COTTON FIELDS IN LOUISIANA, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COLEOMEGILLA MACULATA DE GEER A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Entomology by Yousef Hanna Atallah B .Sc., Ain Shams University, 1956 M .Sc., Ain Shams University, 1959 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The writer wishes to express his sincere appreciation and gratitude to Professor L. D. Newsom for his interest, guidance, stimulating suggestions and making facilities available during the course of this work and in the preparation of the manuscript. Appreciation is extended to Dr. J. H. Roberts for his assistance in photography and to Dr. H. B. Boudreaux and Dr. J. B. Sinclair for serving on the graduate committee. He also wishes to express his appreciation to Dr. N. W. Earle and Dr. J. B. Graves for their constant help during the course of these studies. The writer is also grateful to Mrs. J. B. Chapin * for help with identification of the coccinellids. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENT i i LIST OF T A B L E S ....................................... v LIST OF FIGURES..................... viii ABSTRACT.............................................. xii PART I INTRODUCTION ......................................... 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE................................ 4 MATERIALS AND METHODS................................ 12 RESULTS................................................ 14 Experiment Number 1, Hill Farm, 1962 ............ 14 Experiment Number 2, Perkins Road Farm, IS62 . 20 Experiment Number 3, Hill Farm, 1963 ............ 29 Experiment Number 4, Perkins Road Farm, 1963 . 36 Experiment Number 5, Perkins Road Farm, 1963 . 45 Discussion of Results.............................. 46 • CONCLUSIONS............................................ 51 PART II INTRODUCTION ......................................... 54 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5 5 BIOLOGY AND FEEDING HABITS OF FOUR COCCINELLID PREDATORS IN LOUISIANA .............................. 62 Materials and Methods.............................. 62 ii i Page R e s u l t s ............................................ 64 NUTRITIONAL STUDIES ON COLEOMEGILLA MACULATA DEG. 69 Materials and Methods ............................. 69 D i e t s ............................................... 79 PART III INTRODUCTION.......................................... 115 REVIEW OF LITERATURE................................ 116 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................. 118 RESULTS ............................................... 119 PART IV INTRODUCTION.......................................... 12 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE................................ 124 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................. 130 RESULTS ............................................... 137 Toxicity of* DDT to Coleomeqilla maculata. 137 Toxicity of endrin to Coleomeqilla maculata . 154 Toxicity of toxaphene to Coleomeqilla maculata. 162 Toxicity of toxaphene-DDT mixture to Coleomeqilla maculata............................. 171 SUMMARY ............................................... 178 C ONC LU S I O N S.......................................... 181 BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................... 182 VITA................................................... 198 iv LIST OF TABLES TABLE Page 1 The numbers of squares and bolls damaged by the bollworm in Experiment Number 4. Total of squares and bolls on 15 plants counted July 9, August 1, 9, 16 and 29, Perkins Road Farm, 1963 ........................................ 39 2 Total numbers of prey and predators in all check plots, 1962-1963 .......................... 49 3 Total numbers of prey and predators in all treated plots, 1962-1963 ....................... 50 4 Development of different species of coccinellids on an aphid diet in the laboratory, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 15 to September 17, 1962............................ 65 5 Time in hours required for development of each larval instar of Coleomeqilla maculata. 67 6 Number of aphids consumed per adult per day for different species of coccinellids in the laboratory, Baton Rouge, Louisiana,July,1963 68 7 Development of different stages of Coleomeqi 1 la maculata on Diet I .............. 83 8 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet I I ............ 86 9 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet III............ 89 10 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet I V ............ 91 11 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet V .............. 93 v Page 12 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet V I ........... 94 13 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet VII........... 96 14 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet V I I I ......... 98 15 Development of different stages of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet X I .............. 101 16 Development of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet XIII..........................................105 17 Development of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet X I V ..........................................108 18 Development of Coleomeqilla maculata on Diet X V I ..........................................Ill 19 Effect of different population levels on egg production in Coleomeqilla maculata .... 120 20 Toxicity of DDT to diapausing and active adults of Coleomeqilla maculata collected at Boyce, Louisiana, February, 1963 ........... 138 21 The comparative effect of DDT on active and diapausing Coleomeqilla maculata. Beetles held at 80°F. and observed at the end of 72 h o u r s ..........................................142 22 The effect of 40 micrograms of DDT per beetle on the reproductive and survival potentials of Coleomeqilla maculata .... 147 23 Toxicity of DDT to active adults of Coleomeqilla maculata. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, March, 1963 ....................... 151 vi TABLE Page 24 Toxicity of endrin to diapausing and active adults of Coleomeqilla maculata collected at Boyce, Louisiana, February, 1963................ 155 25 The comparative effect of endrin on active and diapausing Coleomeqilla maculata. Beetles held at 80°F. and observed at the end of 72 hours............................................. 159 26 The effect of sublethal doses of endrin on the reproductive and survival potentials of Coleomeqilla maculata .......................... 163 27 Toxicity of toxaphene tp diapausing and active adults of Coleomeqilla maculata collected at Boyce, Louisiana, February, 1963 165 28 The comparative effect of toxaphene on active and diapausing Coleomeqilla maculata. Beetles held at 80°F. and observed at the end of 72 hours............................................. 169 29 Toxicity of toxaphene-DDT mixture to active adults of Coleomeqilla maculata collected at Boyce, Louisiana, January, 1963 .............. 173 30 The effect of toxaphene-DDT mixture on active Coleomeqilla maculata. Beetles held at 80°F. and observed at the end of 7 2 h o u r s ............ 176 31 The effect of a "sublethal” dose of toxaphene-DDT mixture on the reproduction and survival potentials of Coleomeqilla maculata. 179 vii LIST OF FIGURES Paye 1 Number of predators and prey in Check plot I, Hill Farm, 1962. The ordinate Y indicates the number of individuals.................. 16 2 Number of predators and prey in Check plot II, Hill Farm, 1962. The ordinate Y indicates the number of individuals .... 18 3 Number of predators and prey in Treated plot I, Hill Farm, 1962. The ordinate Y indicates the number of individuals .... 21 4 Number of predators and prey in Treated plot II, Hill Farm, 1962. The ordinate Y indicates the number of individuals .... 22 5 Number of predators and prey in Check plot I, Perkins Road Farm, 1962. The ordinate Y indicates the number of individuals- .... 25 6 Number of predators and prey in Check plot II, Perkins Road Farm, 1962. The ordinate Y indicates the number of individuals .... 27 7 Number of predators and prey in Treated plot I, Perkins Road Farm, 1962. The ordinate Y indicates the number of