The mirid bug Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür), a significant pest affecting tea, additionally poses important threats to a variety of different crops throughout China. Figuring out the dominant predatory spiders of the mirid bug and their pest management features can present a scientific foundation for growing organic management applied sciences for this pest in tea plantations. On this research, we calculated the dominant presence of those spider species and evaluated the phenological overlap with the inhabitants of A. lucorum. Moreover, DNA from field-collected specimens of spider species was analyzed by A. lucorum-specific primers to detect the presence of residual DNA from the mirid bug. Utilizing the predator–prey useful response mannequin, the predation effectivity of varied grownup spider species on A. lucorum was assessed in laboratory circumstances by testing totally different prey densities. The outcomes confirmed that the best temporal area of interest overlap was noticed between Xysticus ephippiatus and A. lucorum. Molecular detection outcomes confirmed that X. ephippiatus and Misumenops tricuspidatus had considerably larger detection charges of the mirid bug than different spiders. The useful response of lab predation signifies that the predation means of various spider species on A. lucorum will increase with the density of prey. The predation features of each grownup X. ephippiatus and M. tricuspidatus conform to the Holling-II mannequin. At a excessive prey density, the predation amount of grownup X. ephippiatus is considerably larger than that of grownup M. tricuspidatus. In conclusion, the spider X. ephippiatus demonstrates the best potential as a organic management agent towards A. lucorum inside an built-in pest administration framework. This analysis gives priceless scientific insights for leveraging predator species to successfully handle A. lucorum populations in tea plantations.
Zhang, M., Fu, X., Li, F., Zhu, Y., Gao, Y., Zhang, D., & Wang, Q. (2026). Dominated Spider Species and the Predation Evaluation on Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae) in a Tea Plantation. Ecology and Evolution, 16(2), e73078. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73078
