Dicyphus hesperus
| Dicyphus hesperus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Family: | Miridae |
| Genus: | Dicyphus |
| Species: | D. hesperus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Dicyphus hesperus Knight, 1943 |
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Dicyphus hesperus is a species of true bug in the family Miridae. It is a generalist predator of other insects and also feeds on plant tissues. It is native to North America and has been used there in biological control of agricultural pests, especially whitefly on tomatoes.
D. hesperus is a predator and preys on other insects such as whitefly, aphids, mites and caterpillars. It is used in the biological control of insect pests. However it is not entirely predatory and feeds on plant tissues also. One of its plant hosts is the common mullein (Verbascum thapsus). As an omnivore, it alternates between feeding on plants and on animals, and if deprived of all suitable plant tissue, it will die, even in the presence of whiteflies.
Generalist predators can be very useful for biological control in tomato crops in enclosed environments, but the introduction of non-indigenous species is risky because of the unknown ecological effects they may have if they escape into the wider environment. For this reason, native species are preferable, and Dicyphus hesperus can fulfil this role in North America in the same way that Macrolophus caliginosus is used in vegetable crops in Europe.
Research has shown that D. hesperus preys on the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), and the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), both in the laboratory and in a glasshouse planted with tomatoes. When offered both pests it preferentially selects the whitefly. The mirid bug completed its development from egg to adult on either of the two food sources, but it grew faster and was larger at maturity when feeding on the whitefly.
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Wikipedia