Half Friend, Half Enemy? Comparative Phytophagy between Two Dicyphini Species (Hemiptera: Miridae).

Despite their importance as biological control agents, zoophytophagous dicyphine mirids can produce economically important damage. We evaluated the phytophagy and potential impact on tomato plants of and . We developed a study in three parts: (i) a semi-field trial to characterize the type of plant damage produced by these species on caged tomato plants; (ii) a laboratory experiment to assess the effect of fruit ripeness, mirid age, and prey availability on feeding injuries on fruit; and (iii) a laboratory assay to compare the position of both species on either fruit or plants, over time.

Functional Response and Predation Rate of Wagner (Hemiptera: Miridae).

Dicyphine mirids are important biological control agents (BCAs) in horticultural crops. Wagner can be found in protected tomato crops in Portugal, and has been observed feeding on several tomato pests. However, the predation capacity of this species is poorly studied.

Reproductive Output and Insect Behavior in Hybrids and Apomicts from and Complexes (Plumbaginaceae) in an Open Cross-Pollination Experiment.

Ex situ plant collections established from seeds of natural populations are key tools for understanding mating systems of intricate taxonomic complexes, as in the Mill. genus (sea lavenders, Plumbaginaceae). Plants show a polymorphic sexual system associated to flower polymorphisms such as ancillary pollen and stigma and/or heterostyly that prevents self and intramorph mating.

Molecular evidence of polyandry in the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae).

The occurrence of polyandry in Planococcuscitri, presumed by earlier observations of mating behavior, was confirmed using microsatellite genotyping of pools of over 400 eggs resulting from controlled crosses of one female with two males. The genetic contribution of both mated males was confirmed in 13 out of 43 crosses. In three crosses it was possible to determine that only the first male fertilized the eggs, which may be due to sperm competition or unviable sperm supply.