VALORACIÓN DE LA CAPACIDAD DEPREDADORA DE Hydrophilus insularis Y Thermoneutes circunscripta (COLEOPTERA: HYDROPHILIDAE Y DYTISCIDAE) EN CONDICIONES DE LABORATORIO

Predatory capacity assessment in Hydrophilus insularis and Thermoneutes circunscripta (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae and Dytiscidae) in laboratory conditions. In the present paper we assessed the predatory capacity of Hydrophilus insularis (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) and Thermoneutes circunscripta (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). The Coleoptera order is one of the most important groups of insects, since both the larval forms as well as the adults predate on larval mosquio populations. The results indicated that Hydrophilus insularis in larval stage is a good bioregulator of mosquito larvae, eating a mean of 36 mosquito larvae per day, without vegetation, and 31 mosquito larvae per day, with vegetation. Thermoneutes circunscripta shows alower predatory capacity eating an average of 12 larvae per day, without vegetation, and 5 larva per day, with vegetation.