Distribution and Biology of Mallada desjardinsi (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) in India and Its Predatory Potential Against Aleurodicus dispersus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

In this study, we report the prevalence of Mallada desjardinsi (Navas) in seven geographical regions of India and provide the first report of its kind outlining the preying of all stages of the spiraling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell, by M. desjardinsi. Sampling was conducted in seven regions of two provinces in India, Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu), which demonstrated that M. desjardinsi populations were most dense at the former and least at the later. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of its kind outlining observations regarding the biology and feeding potential of M. desjardinsi on A. dispersus under laboratory conditions. It was observed that the second nymphal stadium of A. dispersus was most preferred prey for M. desjardinsi and the least preferred was the A. dispersus adult. It was also seen that the third stadium of M. desjardinsi consumed more A. dispersus individuals than any other life stages. The longevity of female and the total developmental period of M. desjardinsi were computed as 27.6 ± 1.69 and 24.1 ± 0.99 d, respectively. The average total number of eggs laid by the M. desjardinsi female was 211.1 ± 6.35 eggs. M. desjardinsi was observed to be extremely efficient in terms of prey searching and predatory potential with respect to A. dispersus. The results of this study indicate strongly that M. desjardinsi has the potential to be used for the control of A. dispersus.