The predation capacity of larvae and adults of Calosoma granulatum Perty on Alabama argillacea (Hübner) pupae was studied under laboratory conditions. In the first experiment, each larva of C. granulatum (n=18) was provided with five pupae of A. argillacea per day; in the second experiment, five pupae per day were given to each C. granulatum adult (n= five males and five females). Their predation rate was 1.8 pupae per day. The highest level of predation occurred from the end of the second instar to the beginning of the third instar. Their predation rate for adults was 1.5 and 1.7 larvae per day, for males and females, respectively. There was no significant difference between male and female predation capacity in all evaluations. These results indicate that C. granulatum larvae and adults may prey on relatively high numbers of A. argillacea pupae, and therefore, the preservation of this predator on cultivated areas is essential to reduce the number of insecticide sprays and, consequently, the cost of production per hectare.
Insecta; predator; cotton pest; biological control
