Influence of larval dietary supply on the food consumption, food utilization efficiency, growth and development of the lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

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Abstract
Larvae of the common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens)(Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), were fed either an optimal or a suboptimal number of eggs of the moth Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller) in the first and/or second larval instar, or in all three larval instars. Parameters for the duration, growth, and the efficiency of conversion of ingested food to body substance (ECI) of each instar were established for seven different dietary regimes. Larvae that had a suboptimal food supply in the first instar had a significantly longer developmental time, gained significantly less weight, and had a slightly lower ECI in that instar larvae. Suboptimally‐fed second less, but remained only slightly longer in that instar and had a similar ECI to optimally‐fed second instar larvae. The developmental time of suboptimally‐fed third instar larvae was similar to that of optimally‐fed larvae of that stage. Whereas the growth of the former was significantly less than that of larvae optimally fed in that instar, the ECI of the former was significantly higher. Despite the relatively smaller size of larvae fed suboptimally in the first and/or second instar, when such larvae were subsequently supplied with an overabundance of prey eggs, they consumed approximately the same number of eggs during the remainder of their larval life as did larvae whose food supply had not been restricted previously. When larvae were allowed to consume different numbers of eggs in their third instar, their gain in weight and therefore the weights attained by the resulting adults (based on the weights of 3‐day‐old cocoons) had a highly significant positive correlation with the number of eggs consumed in this instar.

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