Effect of Diets on Biology of Abaris basistriata and Selenophorus seriatoporus (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Abstract

Ground beetles or carabids are collective terms for the beetle family Carabidae. This family contains many species considered important predators associated with agricultural crops. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of different diet types on consumption, fecundity, and egg viability of Abaris basistriata Chaudoir and Selenophorus seriatoporus Putzeys (Coleoptera: Carabidae). The diets assessed were as follows: larvae of Tenebrio molitor L.; minced beef; dry cat food; the greenbug, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani); seeds of signal grass, Brachiaria decumbens Stapf; and a diet mixture. Five males and five females of each species were kept isolated in a plastic container divided by a silicon barrier, one side being filled with sifted soil that was moistened for oviposition and the other lined with filter paper to receive the diet. A. basistriata did not consume the B. decumbens seeds. The most consumed diet by A. basistriata and S. seriatoporus adults was T. molitor larvae. S. graminum and T. molitor larvae and diet mixture were considered the diets most favorable for the reproductive capacity of A. basistriata and S. seriatoporus, respectively. However, T. molt tor larvae and diet mixture were the most favorable diets for rearing both carabid species in the laboratory.