Study on the biology, feeding behaviour and predatory potential of sycanus collaris (fabricius) (heteroptera: reduviidae), a new predator of hyposidra talaca (walk.) (lepidoptera: geometridae), a major tea pest and mass rearing on corcyra cephalonica (sta

The sustainable utilization of biological control agents in agro-ecosystems depend on the data on biology, bio-ecology and feeding behaviour of that biological control agents on their main or alternative host. In the present study, the biology, feeding behavior and predatory potential of a newly recorded reduviid predator Sycanus collaris, from tea ecosystem found predating on one of the major tea pests Hyposidra talaca, have been observed under laboratory conditions. The incubation period, duration of the nyphal stages and longevity of adult stages were observed both on Corcyra cephalonica (rice meal moth) and on H. talaca. The incubation period was recorded as 13.6±1.1 and 11.8±2.3, duration of nymphal stages as 58.4 ±3.9 and 64.8±4.1, adult longevity 99.8±3.5 and 108.6±2.8 days respectively on rice meal moth and tea looper respectively. The fecundity (total number of eggs laid /female) was found to be 282.0± 23.9 and 320.4± 44.2 eggs/female when feed on larvae of C. cephalonica and H. talaca respectively. Predatory potential of the reduviid bug S. collaris, has been studied by providing larvae of tea looper, H. talaca in laboratory. The predator S. collaris attacked more prey to satiate itself at a given point of time. In the case of free choice feeding condition, wherein the adult males consumed a 4.6±1.8 fifth instar larvae of H. talaca while the adult female consumed 5.0±1.6per day. However, the nymphal consumption varied between 3.2±1.3 on third instar and 2.2±0.8 fifth instar of looper. The feeding behaviour of the predator such as the time taken for approach and attacking, paralyzing, sucking on the prey were also recorded. The adult female could paralyze a grown-up looper within 5-8 seconds and sucked the body sap within 119-121 seconds. First instar nymph of the reduviid bug preferred only second instar larvae of looper and group feeding was observed whereas, with the advancement of the nymphal instar they prefer to predate on later stages of looper (fourth and fifth instars) when compared to the early instars.