The development time and the fecundity of Orius species are strongly influenced by a wide range of factors, like environmental conditions and in particular temperature. This work aimed to evaluate the reproduction and adult longevity of Orius thyestes Herring, 1966 in different temperatures. Eggs of Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller, 1879) was provide as food supply. The experiment was carried out in climatic chambers at temperatures 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 ± 1°C, RH 70 ±10% and photophase 12h. A deleterious effect of the temperature on O. thyestes was found at 16°C, in which only 40% of the nymphs reached adulthood, of which only 19% presented normal morphological characteristics, without any alterations. The longest pre-oviposition period was found at 19°C (17.8 days). The highest fecundities were found at 25 and 28°C (109.2 and 128.2 eggs/female, respectively) and the lowest at 19 °C (22.8 eggs/female). At 22 and 31°C, females lived longer than the males. The low temperatures affected the reproduction and longevity of O. thyestes, suggesting that this species would have better reproductive performance under high temperatures, as it occur in tropical and or subtropical regions.
Biological control; fecundity; longevity; Orius sp.; oviposition
