Important groups of predators and their

identification characters
By,
L.N.NISHA

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 Predators???????

“A free- living organism throughout its life, it kills

its prey, is usually larger than its prey and
requires more than one prey to complete its
development”

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 Characteristics of a predator

• Long life cycle

• Requires several prey to complete its development
• Larger than its prey
• Kills their prey immediately
• Usually both immature and adult stages are predatory, except
some cases (Eg- Blister beetle larvae feeds on eggs of
grasshopper whereas the adult feeds on flower)
• Very active
• Stronger and larger
• More intelligent than prey
• Locomotory organs and mouth parts well developed
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 Agriculturally important predatory insect orders

• Coleoptera

• Hemiptera

• Diptera

• Lepidoptera

• Hymenoptera and

• Neuroptera

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 1. Coleoptera

Carabidae- Ground beetle

Nocturnal predator, adults are black or

brown in colour some are metallic blue or
green in colour. The legs are slender and
adopted well for running and digging.

Ophionea nigrofaciata predatory on

rice leaf folder and Coconut black
headed caterpillar.
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Cicindellidae- Tiger beetle

Fast runners by their long legs to catch

their prey or escape from disturbance.
They are often metallic colour, have
protruding mandibles, bulging eyes. Head
is wider than prothorax

Megacephala virginica or M. fulgida

on mole cricket. Also predatory on soil
dwelling insects.

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 Coccinellidae- Lady bird beetle

• Head concealed in pronotum, antenna 6-11 segmented

• Tarsi 4 segmented and the 3rd segment concealed in deeply
bilobed 2nd segment
• Larva resembles lacewings but lack of mandibles
• Both adults and grubs are predatory on many soft bodied
insects like aphids and mealy bugs

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Examples of predatory Coccinellids

• Cryptolaemus montrouzeri- Mealy bugs

• Coccinnella septempunctata- Predatory on Aphis craccivora and

Lipaphis erysmi

• Rodalia cordinalis- Icerya purchasi

• Scymnus sp- Aphids, Coccids and other soft bodied insects

• Brumoides sutaralis- Aphids, Coccids and other soft bodied insects

• Curinus coerulens- Subabul psyllid

• Chilocorus nigratus- Sugarcane scales

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 Staphylinidae – Rove beetle

• Small to medium sized insect

• Short elytra considerable portion of the abdomen is exposed
• The mandibles are well developed and cross infront of the
head
• It often bends the tip of the abdomen
• Most of the staphylinids are saprophagous
• Only in some cases it acts as predator

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Clear view of a Rove beetle

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Other families of coleopteran preadtors

Histeridae- Hister beetle or

clown beetles

Nitidulidae- Sap beetles

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 2. Hemiptera

• Reduviidae- Assasian bug

• Miridae- Mirid bug

• Veliidae- Riffle bug

• Pentatomidae- Stink bug

• Anthocoridae- Pirate bug

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 Reduviidae- Assasian bug

• Mostly brownish or black coloured insects and

some are brightly coloured
• Elongated head and beak carried beneath their body
• Spines on their legs
• Wings do not completely cover the abdomen
• Nymphs resembles adult but they lack wings
• Eg- Platymeris laevicollis on Coconut rhinoceros
beetle

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 Miridae- Mirid bug

• These are delicate small to medium sized elongated

insect
• Head and pronotum is black
• Presence of cuneus
• Ocelli absent
• Tarsi 3 segmented
• Eg- Cyrtorhinus lividipennis on rice hoppers

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 Veliidae- Riffle bug

• Microvelia atrolineata predatory on Rice leaf and

plant hopper

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 Pentatomidae- Shield bug

• Brightly colored, medium size and shield shape like

insects
• 4 or 5 segmented antenna
• Scutellum triangular
• May discharge distasteful smell when handled,
produce disagreeable odour
• Eg- Eocanthecona furcetella predatory on red
hairy caterpillar

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Closer view of Eocanthecona furcetella

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 Anthocoridae- Pirate bug

• Adults are 3mm long

• Oval shaped with black and white wing patches
• Nymphs are yellow orange to brown in colour
• Both nymphs and adults feed on spiders, mites,
thrips, scales, aphids and small caterpillars
• Eg- Orius indicus predatory on thrips and some
Coleopteran eggs

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Nymphs of Pirate bugs feeding on Aphids

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 3. Diptera

Important major families of

some Dipteran preadators Syrphidae- Hover fly

Asilidae- Robber fly

Dolichopodidae-
Long legged fly

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 Syrphidae- Hover fly

• Presence of spurious vein

• Small to medium sized insect
• Yellow or black striped bodies resembles wasp and it also
looks like honey bee
• Larval stage predatory on aphids and scales
• Adults feed on pollen and nectar
• Larvae are pale green to yellow colour

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Eg- Dideopsis segrota
predaceous on aphids
(A. gossypii and
A. craccivora)
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 Asilidae- Robber fly

• Medium to large sized and hairy insect

• Fast flying insect

• Hollowed area between their eyes and beard

• Elongated humped body with a slender tapering abdomen

• Adults are aggressive predators, attack prey often larger than

themselves

• Larval stage is also predaceous in robber flies

• Predatory on butter flies, wasps, dragon flies, bees and beetles

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 Dolichopodidae- Long legged flies

• Presence of long legs

• Standing high on their legs on the ground or on vegetation
• The adults are predators of small invertebrates including
Collembola and aphids
• Species of the genus Dolichopus commonly prey on the
larvae of mosquitoes

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 Other minor groups of Dipteran predators

Drosophilidae- Fruit fly Cryptochaetidae

• The maggots of the fly is • The maggots prey upon
predaceous on castor and coccids
pomegranate Aleyrodids

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 4. Lepidoptera

Lycaenidae

Noctuidae

Pyralidae

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 Lycaenidae

• Commonly called as Blues- Apefly

• Predatory on soft bodied insects like mealy bug
• Larva green, short, stout and fleshy
• Pupa resembles like monkey face
• Eg- Spalgis epius predatory on Planococcus citri

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Monkey face like pupa of Spalgis epius

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 Noctuidae

• Larvae are bright pink to reddish colour

• Larval body always covered with light silken web
forms like structure
• Eg- Eublemma scitula – Scales
Eublemma amabilis – Lac insect

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Larva of Eublemma covered with light silken
web forms like structure

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 Pyralidae

• Larval stage is predaceous

• Dipha aphidivora predatory on Sugarcane wooly
aphid (Ceratanavacuna lanigera)

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 5. Hymenoptera

• Vespidae- Paper wasp

• Bodies are black, yellow or whitish marking
• Generally adults are the predators of Lepidopteran
caterpillars
• Adults kill their prey by stinking
• Eg- Vespa cincta – Predator of Lepidopteran larva
and spiders

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 6. Neuroptera

• Chrysopidae- Lacewing fly

• Adults are green in colour, long and slender
• Large,clear membranous forked wings
• Pedicellate or stalked eggs
• Pupation takes place in a silken on underside of the
leaf
• Grubs are predatory on soft bodied insects like
aphids (Aphidlion)
• Adults feed on honey dew and pollen
• Eg- Chrysoperla carnea

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Myrmeliontidae- Antlion

• Myrmeliontid adults have long, narrow, spotted

wings and resembles damselflies
• Their antenna is short, thickened and knobbed
• Antlion grubs have large sickle like mandibles, live
burried at the bottom of funnel shaped or conical
pits in sand and predate upon ants that are crawling
and falling in
• Eg- Myemelion sp. Predatory on ants and soil
dwelling insects

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 General insect predators

• Dragonflies and Damselflies

• Naiads and adults are
predators on small insects
and butterflies

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 Preying mantids

• Predators of grasshoppers,
caterpillars and butterflies

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 Giant water bug

• Predaceous on small aquatic

insects
• Mostly the adults are
predators

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 Larvicidal fish

• Gambusia affinis and Fundulus sp.

• On mosquito larvae

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