Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted descending) Filter |
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| zoophytophagous mirids provide pest control by inducing direct defences, antixenosis and attraction to parasitoids in sweet pepper plants. | in addition to their services as predators, mirid predators are able to induce plant defences by phytophagy. however, whether this induction occurs in sweet pepper and whether it could be an additional benefit to their role as biological control agent in this crop remains unknown. here, these questions are investigated in two model insects, the mirids nesidiocoris tenuis and macrolophus pygmaeus. | 2017 | 29274122 |
| correction to: phytophagy of omnivorous predator macrolophus pygmaeus affects performance of herbivores through induced plant defences. | unfortunately, the citation of one of the papers was published erroneously in the original version and corrected here by this erratum. the original article was corrected. | 2018 | 29181577 |
| phytophagy of omnivorous predator macrolophus pygmaeus affects performance of herbivores through induced plant defences. | plants possess various inducible defences that result in synthesis of specialized metabolites in response to herbivory, which can interfere with the performance of herbivores of the same and other species. much less is known of the effects of plant feeding by omnivores. we found that previous feeding of the omnivorous predator macrolophus pygmaeus on sweet pepper plants significantly reduced reproduction of the two-spotted spider mite tetranychus urticae and western flower thrips frankliniella o ... | 2018 | 29124341 |
| elliptic fourier analysis in the study of the male genitalia to discriminate three macrolophus species (hemiptera: miridae). | within the genus macrolophus (heteroptera: miridae), the species m. costalis (fieber), m. melanotoma (costa) and m. pygmaeus (rambur) are present in the mediterranean region on a wide variety of plant species. while m. costalis can easily be separated from the other two by the black tip at the scutellum, m. pygmaeus and m. melanotoma are cryptic species, extremely similar to one another in external traits, which has resulted in misidentifications. m. pygmaeus is an efficient biological control a ... | 2017 | 29104240 |
| survival of a specialist natural enemy experiencing resource competition with an omnivorous predator when sharing the invasive prey tuta absoluta. | can specialist natural enemies persist in ecosystems when competing with omnivorous natural enemies for their shared prey? the consequences of omnivory have been studied theoretically, but empirical studies are still lacking. omnivory is nevertheless common in nature and omnivorous predators coexist with specialists in many ecosystems, even when they are intraguild predators. this type of association is also common in agroecosystems in which biological control strategies are used. our study prov ... | 2017 | 29075452 |
| functional response and multiple predator effects of two generalist predators preying on tuta absoluta eggs. | interactions among invertebrate predators could affect a pest suppression. the hemipteran species macrolophus pygmaeus (rambur) and nesidiocoris tenuis (reuter) (hemiptera: miridae) are natural enemies of several pests in agroecosystems and coexist in tomato crops in mediterranean countries. by using the multiplicative risk model (mrm) and the substitutive model, the multiple predator effects (mpes) on prey suppression were calculated when two individuals of the predators foraged at the same den ... | 2018 | 28815991 |
| nano-formulation enhances insecticidal activity of natural pyrethrins against aphis gossypii (hemiptera: aphididae) and retains their harmless effect to non-target predators. | the insecticidal activity of a new nano-formulated natural pyrethrin was examined on the cotton aphid, aphis gossypii glover (hemiptera: aphididae), and the predators coccinella septempunctata l. (coleoptera: coccinellidae) and macrolophus pygmaeus rambur (hemiptera: miridae), in respect with the nano-scale potential to create more effective and environmentally responsible pesticides. pyrethrin was nano-formulated in two water-in-oil micro-emulsions based on safe biocompatible materials, i.e., l ... | 2017 | 28210947 |
| life-history traits of macrolophus pygmaeus with different prey foods. | macrolophus pygmaeus rambur (hemiptera: miridae) is a generalist predatory mirid widely used in augmentative biological control of various insect pests in greenhouse tomato production in europe, including the invasive tomato leafminer, tuta absoluta (meyrick) (lepidoptera, gelechiidae). however, its biocontrol efficacy often relies on the presence of alternative prey. the present study aimed at evaluating the effect of various prey foods (ephestia kuehniella eggs, bemisia tabaci nymphs, tuta abs ... | 2016 | 27870857 |
| trading direct for indirect defense? phytochrome b inactivation in tomato attenuates direct anti-herbivore defenses whilst enhancing volatile-mediated attraction of predators. | under conditions of competition for light, which lead to the inactivation of the photoreceptor phytochrome b (phyb), the growth of shade-intolerant plants is promoted and the accumulation of direct anti-herbivore defenses is down-regulated. little is known about the effects of phyb on emissions of volatile organic compounds (vocs), which play a major role as informational cues in indirect defense. we investigated the effects of phyb on direct and indirect defenses in tomato (solanum lycopersicum ... | 2016 | 27689843 |
| population genetic structure of the biological control agent macrolophus pygmaeus in mediterranean agroecosystems. | biological control of agricultural pests relies on knowledge of agroecosystem functionality, particularly when affected by the use of mass-produced biological agents. incorporating pre- and/or post-release information such as genetic diversity and structure on these agents using molecular-based approaches could advance our knowledge of how they perform in agroecosystems. we evaluated the population genetics of macrolophus pygmaeus, the most widely used predatory mirid against many arthropod pest ... | 2017 | 27312029 |
| effect of plant nitrogen and water status on the foraging behavior and fitness of an omnivorous arthropod. | omnivorous arthropods make dietary choices according to the environment in which they forage, mainly availability/quality of plant and/or prey resources. such decisions and their subsequent impacts on life-history traits may be affected by the availability of nutrients and water to plants, that is, through bottom-up forces. by setting up arenas for feeding behavior observation as well as glasshouse cages for plant preference assessment, we studied effects of the presence of prey (lepidoptera egg ... | 2015 | 27069598 |
| comparative cytogenetic study of three macrolophus species (heteroptera, miridae). | macrolophus pygmaeus (rambur, 1839) (insecta, heteroptera, miridae) is a predator of key vegetable crop pests applied as a biocontrol agent in the mediterranean region. macrolophus pygmaeus and macrolophus melanotoma (a. costa, 1853) are cryptic species with great morphological similarity which results in their misidentification and negative consequences for the conservation of their populations on greenhouse and outdoor crops. in order to find out specific markers for their separation we studie ... | 2015 | 26753078 |
| effects of sublethal concentrations of insecticides on the functional response of two mirid generalist predators. | the use of agrochemicals particularly pesticides, can hamper the effectiveness of natural enemies, causing disruption in the ecosystem service of biological control. in the current study, the effects of the insecticides thiacloprid and chlorantraniliprole on the functional response curves were assessed for two mirid predator nymphs, macrolophus pygmaeus rambur and nesidiocoris tenuis reuter. in the absence of insecticides, both predators exhibited a type ii functional response when feeding on eg ... | 2015 | 26641652 |
| biological control of tetranychus urticae by phytoseiulus macropilis and macrolophus pygmaeus in tomato greenhouses. | biological control against phytophagous arthropods has been widely used under greenhouse conditions. its success is dependent on a number of factors related to the abiotic conditions and to the interactions between pests and biological control agents. in particular, when multiple predator species are introduced to suppress one pest, competitive interactions might occur, including intraguild predation (igp). in tomato crops, the spider mite tetranychus urticae koch is a very problematic phytophag ... | 2016 | 26481345 |
| predation of the peach aphid myzus persicae by the mirid predator macrolophus pygmaeus on sweet peppers: effect of prey and predator density. | integrated pest management strategies are widely implemented in sweet peppers. aphid biological control on sweet pepers includes curative applications of parasitoids and generalist predators, but with limited efficiency. macrolophus pygmaeus is a zoophytophagous predator which has been reported to predate on aphids, but has traditionally been used to control other pests, including whiteflies. in this work, we evaluate the effectiveness of m. pygmaeus in controlling myzus persicae (homoptera: aph ... | 2015 | 26463201 |
| high population densities of macrolophus pygmaeus on tomato plants can cause economic fruit damage: interaction with pepino mosaic virus? | the zoophytophagous predator macrolophus pygmaeus rambur (hemiptera: miridae) is a successful biocontrol agent against several pest species in protected tomato crops. this predator is considered to be harmless for the crop. however, in recent years, heteroptera feeding punctures on tomato fruit in belgian and dutch greenhouses have been misinterpreted as pepino mosaic virus (pepmv) symptoms. in this study, three hypotheses were tested: (1) m. pygmaeus causes fruit damage that increases with popu ... | 2016 | 26419416 |
| beyond predation: the zoophytophagous predator macrolophus pygmaeus induces tomato resistance against spider mites. | many predatory insects that prey on herbivores also feed on the plant, but it is unknown whether plants affect the performance of herbivores by responding to this phytophagy with defence induction. we investigate whether the prior presence of the omnivorous predator macrolophus pygmaeus (rambur) on tomato plants affects plant resistance against two different herbivore species. besides plant-mediated effects of m. pygmaeus on herbivore performance, we examined whether a plant defence trait that i ... | 2015 | 25974207 |
| effect of a plant fortifier (boundary) on pests and predators of greenhouse vegetable crops. | boundary, a plant fortifier composed of extracts of sophora flavescens aiton and brown algae, was tested for control of the leaf miner tuta absoluta (meyrick) on tomato (three trials) and of the red spider mite tetranychus urticae koch on eggplant (one trial) and for side effects on the whitefly predator macrolophus pygmaeus (kambur) (two trials) on tomato and on the thrips predators orius laevigatus (fieber) and amblyseius swirskii athias-henriot (two trials) on pepper, all in cold greenhouses ... | 2015 | 25631629 |
| foraging behaviour of the parasitoid eretmocerus eremicus under intraguild predation risk by macrolophus pygmaeus. | intraguild predation (igp), predation between species that use a common resource, can affect the populations of a pest, of the pest's natural enemy (ig prey) and of the predator of the pest's natural enemy (ig predator). in this study, we determined whether the parasitoid eretmocerus eremicus (hymenoptera: aphelinidae) (ig prey), modifies its foraging behaviour under the risk of igp by macrolophus pygmaeus (hemiptera: miridae) (ig predator). parasitoid behaviour was analysed using two bioassays ... | 2015 | 25377901 |
| suitability of the pest-plant system tuta absoluta (lepidoptera: gelechiidae)-tomato for trichogramma (hymenoptera: trichogrammatidae) parasitoids and insights for biological control. | the south american tomato leafminer, tuta absoluta meyrick (lepidoptera: gelechiidae), is a major pest that has recently invaded afro-eurasia. biological control, especially by trichogramma parasitoids, is considered to be promising as a management tool for this pest. however, further development of trichogramma-based biocontrol strategies would benefit from assessing the impact of released parasitoid offspring on the pest. under laboratory conditions, we 1) compared the parasitism of five trich ... | 2013 | 24498728 |
| preference and prey switching in a generalist predator attacking local and invasive alien pests. | invasive pest species may strongly affect biotic interactions in agro-ecosystems. the ability of generalist predators to prey on new invasive pests may result in drastic changes in the population dynamics of local pest species owing to predator-mediated indirect interactions among prey. on a short time scale, the nature and strength of such indirect interactions depend largely on preferences between prey and on predator behavior patterns. under laboratory conditions we evaluated the prey prefere ... | 2013 | 24312646 |
| lethal and behavioral effects of pesticides on the insect predator macrolophus pygmaeus. | macrolophus pygmaeus (hemiptera: miridae) is a common generalist predator in mediterranean agro-ecosystems. we evaluated the lethal effects of six insecticides and a fungicide on m. pygmaeus nymphs exposed to the pesticides through three routes of exposure: direct, residual and oral. chlorantraniliprole and emamectin-benzoate caused less than 25% mortality to m. pygmaeus and were classified as harmless according to the international organization for biological control rating scheme. in contrast, ... | 2014 | 24200046 |
| discrimination of two natural biocontrol agents in the mediterranean region based on mitochondrial dna sequencing data. | macrolophus pygmaeus and m. melanotoma (hemiptera: miridae) are biological control agents used in greenhouse crops, the former preferring plants of the solanaceae family and the latter the aster dittrichia viscosa. the discrimination of these species is of high significance for effective biological pest control, but identification based on morphological characters of the host plant is not always reliable. in this study, sequencing analysis of mitochondrial gene segments 12s rdna and coi has been ... | 2013 | 23839086 |
| tomato below ground-above ground interactions: trichoderma longibrachiatum affects the performance of macrosiphum euphorbiae and its natural antagonists. | below ground and above ground plant-insect-microorganism interactions are complex and regulate most of the developmental responses of important crop plants such as tomato. we investigated the influence of root colonization by a nonmycorrhizal plant-growth-promoting fungus on direct and indirect defenses of tomato plant against aphids. the multitrophic system included the plant solanum lycopersicum ('san marzano nano'), the root-associated biocontrol fungus trichoderma longibrachiatum strain mk1, ... | 2013 | 23718124 |
| analysis of the population structure of macrolophus pygmaeus (rambur) (hemiptera: miridae) in the palaearctic region using microsatellite markers. | macrolophus pygmaeus (rambur) (hemiptera: miridae) is widely distributed throughout the palaearctic region. the aim was to explain the current geographic distribution of the species by investigating its genetic population structure. samples of m. pygmaeus were collected in 15 localities through its range of distribution. a sample from a commercial producer was also analyzed. a total of 367 m. pygmaeus were genotyped for nine microsatellite loci. isolation by distance was tested by mantel's test. ... | 2012 | 23301179 |
| taxonomic identification of macrolophus pygmaeus and macrolophus melanotoma based on morphometry and molecular markers. | two macrolophus species, m. melanotoma (=m. caliginosus) and m. pygmaeus, have been referred to as efficient predators of several key pests on vegetable crops in europe. however, due to the great morphological similarity of these species, they have been confused, with important consequences for inoculative releases of these predators in greenhouses and for the conservation of their natural populations on greenhouse and outdoor crops. in this work, we developed tools to identify these morphologic ... | 2013 | 22998681 |
| permanent genetic resources added to molecular ecology resources database 1 april 2012 - 31 may 2012. | this article documents the addition of 123 microsatellite marker loci to the molecular ecology resources database. loci were developed for the following species: brenthis ino, cichla orinocensis, cichla temensis, epinephelus striatus, gobio gobio, liocarcinus depurator, macrolophus pygmaeus, monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi, pelochelys cantorii, philotrypesis josephi, romanogobio vladykovi, takydromus luyeanus and takydromus viridipunctatus. these loci were cross-tested on the following species: cic ... | 2012 | 22898144 |
| cuticular hydrocarbons discriminate cryptic macrolophus species (hemiptera: miridae). | macrolophus pygmaeus is commercially employed in the biological control of greenhouse and field vegetable pests. it is morphologically undistinguishable from the cryptic species m. melanotoma, and this interferes with the evaluation of the biological control activity of m. pygmaeus. we analysed the potential of cuticular hydrocarbon composition as a method to discriminate the two macrolophus species. a third species, m. costalis, which is different from the other two species by having a dark spo ... | 2012 | 22717077 |
| trophic relationships between predators, whiteflies and their parasitoids in tomato greenhouses: a molecular approach. | the whiteflies bemisia tabaci gennadius and trialeurodes vaporariorum (westwood) (hemiptera: aleyrodidae) are two of the main pests in tomato crops. their biological control in mediterranean ipm systems is based on the predators macrolophus pygmaeus (rambur) and nesidiocoris tenuis reuter (hemiptera: miridae), as well as on the parasitoids eretmocerus mundus (mercet) and encarsia pergandiella howard (hymenoptera: aphelinidae). these natural enemies may interact with each other and their joint us ... | 2012 | 22314013 |
| nectarivory by the plant-tissue feeding predator macrolophus pygmaeus rambur (heteroptera: miridae): nutritional redundancy or nutritional benefit? | most predators and parasitoids feed on plant-provided food (nectar, pollen) or engage in herbivory during at least part of their life stages. plant feeding by these insects plays an important role in driving predator-herbivore dynamics. thus, understanding the effects of plant feeding on omnivores could be an important element in improving biological control strategies. the mirid macrolophus pygmaeus is an omnivorous heteropteran predator of whitefly and other pests. unlike other predators that ... | 2012 | 22245441 |
| permanent genetic resources added to molecular ecology resources database 1 december 2010-31 january 2011. | this article documents the addition of 238 microsatellite marker loci to the molecular ecology resources database. loci were developed for the following species: alytes dickhilleni, arapaima gigas, austropotamobius italicus, blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, cobitis lutheri, dendroctonus ponderosae, glossina morsitans morsitans, haplophilus subterraneus, kirengeshoma palmata, lysimachia japonica, macrolophus pygmaeus, microtus cabrerae, mytilus galloprovincialis, pallisentis (neosentis) celatus, ... | 2011 | 21457476 |
| monogamy and polygamy in two species of mirid bugs: a functional-based approach. | multiple mating in females is widespread among insects in spite of the risk of predation, disease acquisition and/or physical injury that may occur. one common consequence of female polyandry is competition among sperm from two or more males within the female to fertilize the ova. this competition is an evolutionary driving force that determines a series of adaptations in both males and females. in this work, we examine some behavioral, morphological and physiological characteristics of males an ... | 2011 | 21130096 |
| development of specific its markers for plant dna identification within herbivorous insects. | dna-based techniques have proved to be very useful methods to study trophic relationships between pests and their natural enemies. however, most predators are best defined as omnivores, and the identification of plant-specific dna should also allow the identification of the plant species the predators have been feeding on. in this study, a pcr approach based on the development of specific primers was developed as a self-marking technique to detect plant dna within the gut of one heteropteran omn ... | 2011 | 21092379 |
| wolbachia affects the reproduction of the mirid predator macrolophus pygmaeus. | 2009 | 20420217 | |
| wolbachia induces strong cytoplasmic incompatibility in the predatory bug macrolophus pygmaeus. | macrolophus pygmaeus is a heteropteran predator that is widely used in european glasshouses for the biological control of whiteflies, aphids, thrips and spider mites. we have demonstrated that the insect is infected with the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis. several gene fragments of the endosymbiont were sequenced and subsequently used for phylogenetic analysis, revealing that it belongs to the wolbachia supergroup b. the endosymbiont was visualized within the ovarioles using immunol ... | 2009 | 19523069 |
| effect of some diets on macrolophus pygmaeus rambur (hemiptera: miridae) fitness under laboratory conditions. | fitness parameters of omnivore predatory bug macrolophus pygmaeus were studied on various diets consisting of green peach aphid myzus persicae + eggplant leaf disc, eggs of ephestia kuehniella + eggplant leafdisc, pollen + eggplant leaf disc, eggs of e. kuehniella + pollen + eggplant leaf disc. the experiments were began from 1- day nymphs until 32-day adults. the tests were done at 25 degress c, 65+/-5% rh, 16l: 8d h photoperiod. the results showed that adding floral material to the animal prey ... | 2006 | 17385505 |
| macrolophus pygmaeus (hemiptera: miridae) population parameters and biological characteristics when feeding on eggplant and tomato without prey. | the population parameters and biological characteristics of the predator macrolophus pygmaeus rambur when feeding on eggplant, solanum melongena l., and tomato, lycopersicon esculentum (miller) (both solanaceae), without access to prey, were investigated at several temperatures. the experiments were conducted at 15, 20, 25, and 30 degrees c, 65 +/- 5% rh, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (l:d) h. females oviposited on both plant species at all temperatures, with the exception of tomato at 30 degrees c. ... | 2004 | 15384340 |
| discrimination of the closely related biocontrol agents macrolophus melanotoma (hemiptera: miridae) and m. pygmaeus using mitochondrial dna analysis. | the separation of the closely related predatory species macrolophus melanotoma costa (= m. caliginosus wagner) and macrolophus pygmaeus (rambur) based exclusively on the different colour pattern of the first antennal segment (white central band in m. melanotoma and entirely black in m. pygmaeus) is rather precarious and their taxonomic status is still in doubt. in the present study their taxonomic status was evaluated by dna confirmatory analysis and hybridization experiments between m. pygmaeus ... | 2003 | 14704097 |
| biological characteristics of the mirids macrolophus costalis and macrolophus pygmaeus preying on the tobacco form of myzus persicae (hemiptera: aphididae). | biological and population parameters of the predatory bugs macrolophus costalis fieber and macrolophus pygmaeus rambur preying on the tobacco aphid myzus persicae (sulzer) were examined. tobacco was used as host plant and all experiments were carried out at 23 degrees c and l16:d8. in m. costalis, the developmental time for eggs and the total duration of nymphal instars was 13.1 and 22.2 days and in m. pygmaeus 13.0 and 20.2 days, respectively. both species completed their nymphal development fe ... | 2003 | 12593681 |
| a method for laboratory studies on the polyphagous predator macrolophus pygmaeus (hemiptera: miridae). | a method for studying the life history parameters of macrolophus pygmaeus rambur was developed and described. fecundity of the predator was studied by placing one female and one male in a plastic cylinder in which a stem piece was used as an ovipositional substrate. smaller cylinders were used to study the percentage of egg hatch of m. pygmaeus. results demonstrated that this method is suitable for studying the fecundity and egg eclosion of m. pygmaeus. allowing for easy modification, the method ... | 2002 | 11942763 |