Functional response and control efficacy of Plesiochrysa ramburi and Apertochrysa roseusfrontata (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on the Grey Pineapple Mealybug

• Plesiochrysa ramburi and Apertochrysa roseusfrontata are natural enemies of Dysmicoccus neobrevipes. • Type II functional response is observed across all instars of these two lacewing species. • Plesiochrysa ramburi shows significant control efficacy against D. neobrevipes. The gray pineapple mealybug, Dysmicoccus neobrevipes Beardsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), causing damage through sap-sucking, honeydew secretion, and potentially transmitting of pineapple mealybug wilt-associated virus (PMWaV), thereby threatening the sustainability of China’s sisal industry. This study assessed the biological control potential of two predatory lacewings, Plesiochrysa ramburi (Schneider) and Apertochrysa roseusfrontata Wang & Li & Liu, collected from sisal plantations in Zhanjiang (Guangdong Province, China), by evaluating their functional responses and greenhouse control efficacy against D. neobrevipes . Laboratory assays showed that all larval instars of P. ramburi exhibited Type II functional response, whereas A. roseusfrontata displayed such responses only in the 2nd and 3rd instars. Across all stages, P. ramburi exhibited significantly higher predation rates than A. roseusfrontata . Greenhouse trials further revealed that the releases of the 3rd instar larvae from both species at predator-pest ratios of 1:10, 1:15, and 1:20 reduced D. neobrevipes populations by over 80 % within 14 days. Specifically, inundative releases after mealybug infestation at a ratio of 1:10 reduced populations by 98.58 % for P. ramburi and 96.52 % for A. roseusfrontata . Overall, all larval stages of both species were effective predators of D. neobrevipes , with P. ramburi showing superior performance. Both inoculative and inundative release of P. ramburi larvae effectively controlled D. neobrevipes in greenhouses, highlighting its promise as a candidate for biological control.