The Neotropical chrysopid fauna is one of the richest in the world; 21 genera and more than 300 species have been described (Brooks & Barnard, 1990) and numerous taxa await description. Despite this diversity, very little is known about the life histories of most species and the systematics of the group is poorly resolved (Penny, 1984; Adams & Penny, 1985, 1986; Tauber & Adams, 1990). Nevertheless, during the last decade interest in the chrysopids has increased, especially with regard to their use in biological control.

CERAEOCHRYSA AND CHRYSOPERLA: GENERA OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE TO BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

Of the eight chrysopine genera that occur in the Neotropics, we propose that Chrysoperla and Ceraeochrysa have the greatest potential for use in biological control. We base this conclusion on a number of life history and behavioural traits that these two taxa express. Species in both genera occur in a variety of habitats (e.g. dry and moist forests, grasslands, horticultural settings) and are commonly associated with agricultural crops (Muma, 1959a; Adams, 1982; Olazo, 1987; Brooks & Barnard, 1990). Their larval prey includes a large number of economically important insect pests (see below). Moreover, both genera are well adapted for mass-rearing and use in augmentative biological control(Núñez, 1988a, b;Nordlund & Morrison, 1992; Albuquerque et al., 1994; Wang & Nordlund, 1994; López-Arroyo et al., 1999a, c, 2000).

Chrysoperla externa (Hagen) shares many features with the Holarctic Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) s. lat., which is produced commercially and marketed for release throughout North America, Europe, and parts of Asia, and it is an excellent candidate for mass-production and use in biological control programs in Latin America (Albuquerque et al., 1994).