Entomology Research Unit, St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Palayankottai - 627002, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail: eruxavier@sancharnet.in
Functional response of Acanthaspis quinquespinosa (Fabricius) to the termite, Coptotermes heimi (Wasmann), was studied in the laboratory. The adults of A. quinquespinosa responded to the increasing prey density of C. heimi by killing more number of them than killed at lower densities, thus exhibiting type II functional response. The searching capacity of A. quinquespinosa increased with increasing termite density and this reflected its predatory potential.
Acanthaspis quinquespinosa, Coptotermes heimi, functional response, Reduviidae, termite
