Stäubli Dreyer, B., Baumgärtner, J.U., Neuenschwander, P., & Dorn, S. 1997 The functional responses to two Hyperaspis notata strains to their prey, the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti.. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 70: 21-28.
Notes: The number of prey individuals attacked by larvae and adults of the coccinellid Hyperaspis notata (Col., Coccinellidae) as affected by the density of its prey, the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti (Hom., Pseudococcidae), was studied in the laboratory. The functional response parameters of two strains of H. notata, one originating from Southern Brazil and one from Colombia, were compared. In the case of larvae there were no differences between the Brazilian and the Colombian strain. Adult females of the Colombian strain showed, however, a higher searching rate but a lower prey demand rate than females of the Brazilian strain. Overall, Brazilian females attacked more than Colombian females. If food was abundant, 11 to 15 per cent of the prey individuals were injured by the predator without being consumed.