Conserving Phytophagous Arthropods to Conserve Natural Enemies: Asclepias curassavica as the Model

To understand the entomofauna and potential as alternate hosts for natural enemies of Asclepias curassavica L., a study was established between 2012 and 2013 at Emiliano Zapata, Villamar, Michoacan, Mexico. Fifty plants of A. curassavica were planted in pots, and phytophagous arthropods, predators, parasitoids, and aphid parasitism were sampled and recorded each week. Ten species of phytophagous arthropods were identified, including Aphis nerii B. de F., Danaus plexippus L, Oncopeltus fasciatus Dallas, Lygaeus reclivatus Say, and Liriomyza asclepiadis Spencer. Seven species of parasitoids and 14 predators were recorded. Trichogramma pretiosum Riley was an important parasitoid in eggs of D. plexippus, while Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) was the most important parasitoid in A. nerii. The most important predators were Pseudodorus clavatus (Fabricius), Leucopis sp. (both 14.97%), Chrysopidae (21.43%), and Coccinellidae families; Cicloneda sanguinea L. (55.22%) and Scymnus sp. (3.84%) were the most important species. Holobus sp. preyed on the phytophagous mite, Eotetranychus typhae Tuttle, Baker and Abbatiello. E. typhae was recorded for the first time on A. curassavica. The wide diversity of natural enemies associated with specialized phytophagous arthropods of A. curassavica suggested potential of the plant to be deliberately used as a reservoir of alternate hosts of natural enemies, which could eventually regulate abundance of arthropods in agro-ecosystems.