Predation by Green Lynx Spider, Peucetia viridans (Araneae: Oxyopidae), Inhabiting Cotton and Woolly Croton Plants in East Texas

Predation by green lynx spider, Peucetia viridans (Hentz), was studied on cotton and woolly croton plants in East Texas. This species feeds both diurnally and nocturnally. P. viridans was observed feeding on insects of orders Diptera, Hymenoptera, Heteroptera, Homoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, and Odonata, as well as on several spider species. Predaceous arthropods (e.g., Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville, Coccinellidae; Chrysoperla rufilabris [Burmeister], Chrysopidae) constituted more than half of the spiders' diet. In cotton, P. viridans was found to be a predator of the pests Heliothis zea (Boddie) and Alabama argillacea (Hubner) (together 8% of the spiders' prey). Size of killed prey in cotton ranged between 0.14- and 1.3-fold the spiders' size (average prey length, 5.90 ± 0.99 mm). On woolly croton plants, P. viridans was often seen feeding on cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) (numerically almost 30% of the spiders' prey), which is a key pest in cotton. It was estimated that on cotton and croton plants in East Texas, one P. viridans captured an average of less than one prey daily. Our results are compared with data in the literature on the diet of P. viridans