Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu (India).
The biology of predatory mirid, Cyrtorhius lividipennis, was studied on eggs of different preys, viz., brown plant hopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens Stal., white backed plant hopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera Horv., green leaf hopper (GLH) Nephotettix sp., fruitfly Drosophila sp., rice moth Corcyra cephalonica Stainton and on sprouted rice seedlings. The nymphal duration varied significantly, being the shortest (12.3 days) on BPH eggs and the longest (14.82 days) or Drosophila eggs. About 66.7, 53.0, 31.3, 62.3, and 82.4 per cent of mirid nymphs passed through five instars on the eggs of BPH, WBPH, GLH, Corcyra sp. and Drosophila sp., respectively. The growth index was 6.45 on BPH eggs and 4.59 on Drosophila sp. eggs. The sex ratio, longevity and fecundity were high on BPH eggs. Corcyra eggs were found to be next best diet for the mirid. Rice seedlings could not sustain the mirids.
