Comparison of established and novel insecticides on survival and reproduction of Folsomia candida.

Neonicotinoid insecticides have been among the most widely and abundantly used insecticides for most of the current century. The effects of these substances on non-target terrestrial and aquatic organisms have resulted in a significant decrease in their use in many parts of the world. In response, the application of several novel classes of insecticides including diamides, ketoenols, pyridines, and butenolides has significantly increased. The hexapod subclass Collembola is an ecologically significant and widely distributed group of soil invertebrates often found in leaf litter and in surficial soils. In this study, the parthenogenic collembolan species Folsomia candida was exposed to six insecticides in a sandy loam soil for 28 days, including two neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam, clothianidin), a diamide (cyantraniliprole), a ketoenol (spirotetramat), a pyridine (flonicamid), and a butanolide (flupyradifurone) to assess the effect of each insecticide on survival and reproduction. Clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and cyantraniliprole (EC50s (reproduction): 0.19, 0.38, and 0.49 mg/kg soil, respectively) had a greater effect on survival and reproduction of F. candida than flupyradifurone, spirotetramat, and flonicamid (EC50s (reproduction): 0.73, >3.08, and 5.20 mg/kg soil, respectively). All significant impacts observed in this study were observed at concentrations below concentrations of the active ingredients that would be expected in agricultural soils. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:0-0. © 2023 SETAC.