Impact of Cheiracanthium pelasgicum (Araneae: Miturgidae) and Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) intraguild predation on the potential control of cotton pest Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Antagonist interactions such as intraguild predation (IGP) or cannibalism among predatory arthropods can reduce the impact of these invertebrates on pest limitation in agroecosystems. Here, the effects of IGP between two major natural enemies of cotton pests, the cursorial spider Cheiracanthium pelasgicum (C.L. Koch) and the common green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens), were studied under laboratory conditions. First, a feeding preference test was carried out to determine the degree of C. pelasgicum preference for lacewing larvae, using second-instar Helicoverpa armigera larvae as alternative prey. In a second bioassay, the effects of predator interactions on potential predation of H. armigera larvae were analysed using three treatment combinations (plus a control with no predator): (1) spider alone, (2) lacewing larvae alone, (3) spider + lacewing larvae. Potential predation by C. pelasgicum on lacewing eggs was also studied. C. pelasgicum showed no significant preference for either of the two spe...