Biology of cycloneda sanguinea and its association with aphids in mango seedlings

Abstract

Cycloneda sanguinea (Linnaeus, 1763) is one of the most common predator of aphids in Brazil. Details about its behaviour were studied on the field and its biology under laboratory conditions. It is a predator during both larval and adult phases. The female lays an average of 601 eggs well spread over a period of about 63 days (its adult life). The life cycle, from egg to adult was, in average, 18.1 days. Dinocampus coccinellae (Hymenoptera:Braconidae) was found parasiting the adults of Cycloneda sanguinea, and three other species of Hymenoptera were observed parasiting. The aphids observed were the Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de Fonscolombe, 1841) species that, sometimes, are confused with T. citricidus (Kirk, 1907).