The green lacewing Chrysopa formosa as a potential biocontrol agent for managing Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera litura .

Understanding predator-prey interactions is essential for successful pest management by using predators, especially for the suppression of novel invasive pest. The green lacewing is a promising polyphagous predator that is widely used in the biocontrol of various pests in China, but information on the control efficiency of this predator against the seriously invasive pest and native is limited. Here we evaluated the predation efficiency of . adults on eggs and first- to third-instar larvae of . and . through functional response experiments and determined the consumption capacity and prey preference of this chrysopid. Adults of . had a high consumption of eggs and earlier instar larvae of both prey species, and displayed a type II functional response on all prey stages. Attack rates of the chrysopid on different prey stages were statistically similar, but the handling time increased notably as the prey developed. The highest predation efficiency and shortest-handling time were observed for . feeding on eggs, followed by the first-instar larvae. . exhibited a significant preference for . over . in a two-prey system. In addition, we summarized the functional response and predation efficiency of several chrysopids against noctuid pests and made a comparison with the results obtained from . . These results indicate that . has potential as an agent for biological control of noctuid pests, particularly for the newly invasive pest . in China.