Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Embryos, larvae, and pupae of T. brevipalpis Theobald were reared at different constant temperatures. Larvae of Aedes aegypti (L.) were provided as prey. Rate of development and amount of prey killed and consumed were measured. Embryonic and larval development occurred in the range l4–32°C. The lower and upper threshold temperatures of embryonic and larval development were 13 and 33°C respectively. Optimum development temperature was 29–30°C; above this temperature, development was prolonged for both embryos and larvae. In contrast, duration of the pupal stage decreased above 30°C, being shortest at 32°C. The logistic equation was used to calculate speed of development. Rate of predation was greater at high temperature. More prey larvae were consumed and/or killed at 30–32°C than at 20–26°C. Although more food was consumed, T. brevipalpis larvae and pupae were smaller at high temperature. As pupation approached, many prey larvae were killed but not consumed. T. brevipalpis reared at 30–32°C began killing and abandoning prey 7–8 days before pupation, as compared to 1–4 days before pupation for those reared at 20–26°C. High temperature also enhanced the number of prey killed per day. Depending on temperature, each larva destroyed an average of 154 to 358 A. aegypti larvae during its entire larval development.
Milan Trpiš (Sun,) studied this question.