Temperature-dependent development of pale damsel bug, Nabis capsiformis Geramer (hemiptera: nabidae) using linear and non-linear models Abbas Arbab * , Nasim Heydari, Hajar Pakyari Department of Entomology, Takestan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Takestan, Iran article info Article history: Received 18 May 2016 Received in revised form 25 July 2016 Accepted 26 July 2016 Keywords: Nabis capsiformis Temperature Developmental rate Modeling abstract Temperature can affect the predation potential of predators. The temperature-dependent development of Nabis capsiformis (Geram) was studied in the laboratory in six constant temperatures (18, 22, 24, 28, 31 and 33  C) on green pods of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.) infested with pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris). Developmental times in days for separate immature and total development (egg to adult) were inversely proportional to temperature between 18 and 28  C but increased at 31  C. Bugs did not manage to complete development at 33  C. Thermal parameters were estimated by fitting two linear (common and Ikemoto- Takai) models and four non-linear (Taylor, Hilbert e Logan, Briere and Lactin) models to the data. The lower developmental thresholds, calculated using the common linear model and Ikemoto- Takai model for egg, total nymph, and total development were 15.91,10.01, and 11.76  C and 14.74, 10.55, and 12.07  C respectively. The thermal constants for total development were estimated 341.29  e days with common linear model and 313.40  e days with Ikemoto e Takai model. Four non linear models, Taylor, Hilbert and Logan, Briere and Lactin fitted the data well as measured by the ‘‘z weight’’ indicator. Temperature threshold parameters for these non linear models (T (min) ,T (opt) , and T (max) ) were estimated for eggs, total nymphal stages, and total development time (egg to adult). The Taylor model is recom- mended for the description of temperature-dependent development of N. capsiformis. The optimal temperature for the development of eggs, the five nymphal instars and the egg-adult period predicted by this model ranged between 29 and 30  C. Results from this study will provide basic information for the development of predictive models of the seasonal progress of this natural enemy. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Damsel bugs (Nabis spp.) are considered generalized predators, attacking a great number of insect species. Twelve species of this group have been reported from Iran (Ghahari et al., 2010; Razmjoo, 2012). They are the most prevalent group of hemipterans predators in alfalfa fields (Elliott and Kieckhefer, 1990; Pons et al., 2005; Rakhshani et al., 2009). The most abundant species in Iran are Nabis pseudoferus (Remane) and N. capsiformis (Khalilzadeh et al., 2007). An evaluation of the potential of N. capsiformis to reduce alfalfa pest populations (such as aphids) is needed in order to assess the importance of this predator. The efficacy of biological control by natural enemies depends on a complex but delicate relationship between natural enemies and their hosts. This balance can be offset by a changing climate. Environmental factors (especially tempera- ture) directly affect the survival, development, reproduction and dispersal of pest insects and thus their potential biogeography and biotic potential (Chidawanyika et al., 2012). Also it is well known that temperature is a major factor affecting insect biology, activity and distribution of natural enemies in agro-ecosystems (Chidawanyika et al., 2012; Prado et al., 2015). Many studies have demonstrated that temperature affects some life history parame- ters e.g., fecundity, sex ratios, generation time and lifespan of he- mipteran predators (Hofsvang, 1976; Medeiros et al., 2004; Pourali et al., 2010; Calixto et al., 2014). Similarly, temperature extremes may reduce insect survival, reduce fecundity and retard natural enemy development (Hance et al., 2007). In biological control, in- formation concerning such responses are useful to select natural enemies that are best adapted to conditions favoring target pests (Roy et al., 2002). Biological control is facilitated when the climatic * Corresponding author. E-mail address: abbasarbab@hotmail.com (A. Arbab). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Crop Protection journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cropro http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2016.07.031 0261-2194/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Crop Protection 89 (2016) 248e254