Biology and life-table of Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) athenas (Acari: Phytoseiidae) fed with the Old World Date Mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Abstract

The old world date mite Oligonychus afrasiaticus is an important spider mite pest of the date palms Phoenix dactylifera L. mostly in North Africa and the Middle East. A population of the predaceous mite Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) athenas has been recently found in Tunisia in association with a decrease of O. afrasiaticus densities. The objective of this paper was to assess the development and reproduction abilities of T. ( A.) athenas on O. afrasiaticus under laboratory conditions at two temperatures: 27 and 32 °C. The results obtained show that females of T. (A.) athenas develop in 5 days at 27 °C and 4.1 days at 32 °C. The mean fecundity of T. (A.) athenas was 32.1 and 23.2 eggs per female at 27 and 32 °C, respectively. Life table parameters were stimated: the net reproductive rate (Ro) 27.9 and 17.9 eggs/female, the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) 0.322 and 0,344 female/female/day and the mean generation time (T) 10.3 and 8.4 days at 27 and 32 °C, respectively. At both temperatures tested, T. (A.) athenas intrinsic rate of increase was greater than that of O. afrasiaticus (rm = 0.213 at 32 °C,against rm = 0.166 day1 at 27 °C). Typhlodromus (A.) athenas would be able to develop at a wide range of temperatures feeding on O. afrasiaticus and seems to be able to potentially control it.

Pest mites and their interaction with Phytoseiidae and other arthropod predators in an almond orchard in South-West Spain

“…It has been recorded in other countries in the Mediterranean basin on different plants: olive, citrus, cypress, date palm, rosaceous and stone fruit trees, grapes, and others (Papadoulis et al 2008, cited by Ben Chaaban et al 2018Sahraoui et al 2012). Its ability to control a date mite has been studied in Tunisia (Ben Chaaban et al 2018).…”

Acaricidal activity of Lantana Camara (Verbenaceae) and Ruta chalepensis (Rutaceae) essential oils against the date palm mite Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae)

“…However, this production can deteriorate because of attacks caused mainly by four main phytophagous pests, the carob moth Ectomyeloïs ceratoniae, the white scale insect Parlatoria blanchardi, the beetle Oryctes agamemnon, and the mite Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae) (Dhouibi 1991). The latter is an economically important pest of date palm fruit in the Middle East (Arbabi et al, 2017;Negm et al, 2014;Palevsky et al, 2005) and North Africa in Tunisia (Ben- Chaaban et al, 2018) and in Algeria (Lakhdari et al, 2015). The environmental conditions prevailing in these regions have greatly favored the growth and development of O. afrasiaticus on date palm fruit (Al-Doghairi, 2004).…”

Density, spatial dispersion, and sequential sampling of Date Palm spider mite Oligonychus afrasiaticus on six Date Palm cultivars

“…Different populations of this pest are rarely found in Date Palm plantations during winter and early spring. However, its population is active on fruit bunches and leaves in late spring and summer (Ba-Angood and Bass'haih, 2000; Ben Chaaban and Chermiti, 2009).…”