Consumption of Susceptible and Bt-Resistant Spodoptera frugiperda Eggs by Ladybeetles and Lacewings: Preference and Functional Responses

Viteri, Luis O.; Toledo, Pedro F. S.; Fernandes, Ana C.; Orozco, Silvana M.; Souza, Thadeu Carlos de; Rezende, Sarah M.; Pereira, Eliseu J.; Gontijo, Lessando M.; Oliveira, Eugênio E.

doi:10.3390/agronomy16111027

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Consumption of Susceptible and Bt-Resistant Spodoptera frugiperda Eggs by Ladybeetles and Lacewings: Preference and Functional Responses

by

Luis O. Viteri

^1,2,*,†

,

Pedro F. S. Toledo

^3,4,†

,

Ana C. Fernandes

⁴,

Silvana M. Orozco

⁴,

Thadeu Carlos de Souza

⁴,

Sarah M. Rezende

^4,5,

Eliseu J. Pereira

⁴

,

Lessando M. Gontijo

⁶

and

Eugênio E. Oliveira

^4,*

¹

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil

²

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Produção Vegetal, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Gurupi 77402-970, TO, Brazil

³

Department of Entomology, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Dallas, TX 75252, USA

⁴

Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil

⁵

Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USA

⁶

Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, SP, Brazil

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to the manuscript.

Agronomy 2026, 16(11), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16111027

Submission received: 17 April 2026 / Revised: 9 May 2026 / Accepted: 20 May 2026 / Published: 22 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biological Control in Crop Protection)

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Abstract

Immature ladybeetles and lacewings can thrive by feeding on eggs of lepidopteran pests, such as Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). However, considering that the survival and fitness performances of generalist predators are heavily dependent on their ability to select suitable prey, we first evaluated whether eggs of S. frugiperda strains with differential susceptibilities to Bacillus thurigiensis (Bt) toxins would affect the food preference of larvae of the ladybeetle Coleomegilla maculata DeGeer (Coleptera: Coccinellidae) and the lacewing Chrysoperla externa (Hagen, 1861) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). We further determined, for the first time, the functional responses of all immature phases of both predator species when fed with S. frugiperda eggs. In our choice bioassays, predator larvae were individually offered 25 eggs of each S. frugiperda strain. The number of consumed eggs was recorded hourly and replenished during each evaluation. For the functional responses, increasing densities of S. frugiperda eggs were offered to the larvae of lacewings and ladybeetles, and the number of consumed eggs was recorded 24 h after the release of the predator. Ch. externa larvae had a generalized preference for Bt-susceptible strains of eggs, while Co. maculata exhibited such a ,preference only during the first evaluation hour. Both predators displayed type II functional responses, and their consumption substantially increased during larval development. By demonstrating that lacewing and ladybeetle larvae can satisfactorily consume S. frugiperda eggs, including eggs from Bt-resistant individuals, our findings reinforce the potential of these predatory insects for the ecological management of S. frugiperda.

Keywords: Coleomegilla maculata; Chrysoperla externa; fall armyworm; biological control macro-organism agents

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MDPI and ACS Style

Viteri, L.O.; Toledo, P.F.S.; Fernandes, A.C.; Orozco, S.M.; Souza, T.C.d.; Rezende, S.M.; Pereira, E.J.; Gontijo, L.M.; Oliveira, E.E. Consumption of Susceptible and Bt-Resistant Spodoptera frugiperda Eggs by Ladybeetles and Lacewings: Preference and Functional Responses. Agronomy 2026, 16, 1027. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16111027

AMA Style

Viteri LO, Toledo PFS, Fernandes AC, Orozco SM, Souza TCd, Rezende SM, Pereira EJ, Gontijo LM, Oliveira EE. Consumption of Susceptible and Bt-Resistant Spodoptera frugiperda Eggs by Ladybeetles and Lacewings: Preference and Functional Responses. Agronomy. 2026; 16(11):1027. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16111027

Chicago/Turabian Style

Viteri, Luis O., Pedro F. S. Toledo, Ana C. Fernandes, Silvana M. Orozco, Thadeu Carlos de Souza, Sarah M. Rezende, Eliseu J. Pereira, Lessando M. Gontijo, and Eugênio E. Oliveira. 2026. "Consumption of Susceptible and Bt-Resistant Spodoptera frugiperda Eggs by Ladybeetles and Lacewings: Preference and Functional Responses" Agronomy 16, no. 11: 1027. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16111027

APA Style

Viteri, L. O., Toledo, P. F. S., Fernandes, A. C., Orozco, S. M., Souza, T. C. d., Rezende, S. M., Pereira, E. J., Gontijo, L. M., & Oliveira, E. E. (2026). Consumption of Susceptible and Bt-Resistant Spodoptera frugiperda Eggs by Ladybeetles and Lacewings: Preference and Functional Responses. Agronomy, 16(11), 1027. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16111027

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Consumption of Susceptible and Bt-Resistant Spodoptera frugiperda Eggs by Ladybeetles and Lacewings: Preference and Functional Responses

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