Feeding habits, post-embryonic and adult survival, mating, virility and fecundity of the predacious miteAmblyseius swirskii [Acarina: Phytoseiidae] on some coccids and mealybugs

Abstract

The nutritional value for Amblyseius swirskii ATHIAS-HENRIOT, of eggs or crawlers of Coccus hesperidum L., Saissetia oleae (OLIVlER), S. coffeae (WALKER), Pseudococcus citrieulu~ GREEN, and P. longispinus TARG. -TOZZ, even with the addition of honeydew, was low; only a few young reached adulthood and the ovipositiort rate was negligible. However, addition of honeydew to Tetranyehus cinnabarinus BOISD. enhanced the oviposition rate of Ambtyseius swirslcii. Honeydew was a favourite food for A. swirskii, whereas the eggs and crawlers tested were not eagerly attacked and consumed. Females and males fed honeydew of Saissetia oleae mated readily and the females were inseminated, but fecundity was negligible.Amblyseius swirskii ATHIAS -HENRIOT is the dominant phytoseiid mite in the citrus orchards along the coastal plain of Israel (PORATH ~; SWIRSKI, 1965), and is common on deciduous trees in Egypt (YOUSEF & SHEHATA, 1971). It was often observed on citrus in association with various coccids and mealybugs, arid it was therefore of interest and importance to clarify the relationship among them. A laboratory study, which was conducted at Bet Dagan from September 1975 to March 1976, dealt with the effect of crawlers and honeydew on the post-embryonic and adult survival, and on mating, virility and fecundity. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe Amblyseius swirskii used in this work were obtained from a laboratory culture, about 5 years old, fed stored pollen of Carpobrotus edulis. The spider mite Tetranychus cinnabarinus BOISD. was field-collected-from sweet violet (Viola odorata) and the black scale Saissetia oleae (OLlVlZa) was collected from citrus. In laboratory rooms and green-houses the following prey-animals were reared : the brown soft scale Coccus hesperidum L. on oleander (Nerium oleander) and on squash; the hemispherical scale Saissetia coffeae (WALKER) and Green's mealybug Pseudoeoceus citriculus GREEtq on (1)

Development and reproduction of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii on artificial diets

“…The oviposition rate of A. swirskii on AD1 was higher than that on an artificial diet designed by Abou-Awad et al (1992). Moreover, it was similar to that of mites reared on the natural prey F. occidentalis (Wimmer et al 2008) and superior to that of females fed on the carmine spider mite Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) and brown soft scale Coccus hesperidum (L.) (Ragusa and Swirski 1977). The relatively good performance of A. swirskii on artificial diet AD1 may be due to the generalist feeding habits of this phytoseiid mite (Momen and El-Saway 1993).…”

Effect of mating frequency on fecundity and longevity of the predatory mite Kampimodromus aberrans (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

“…The present study shows that mating frequency drastically aVected fecundity and longevity of K. aberrans females and that three to four matings yield maximum fecundity. Increased fecundity as a result of multiple mating has been reported for certain insect species (Ridley 1988) and several other phytoseiid species such as Amblyseius hibisci Chant (Muma 1964), Euseius gossypi (El Bardy) (Elbadry and Elbenhawy 1968), Euseius brazilli (El Benhawy) (El Benhawy 1975), Typhlodromips swirskii (Athias Henriot) (Ragusa and Swirski 1977;Momen and El-Saway 1993), Neoseiulus bibens (Blommer) (Schulten et al 1978), Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt) (Hoy and Smilanick 1979), Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten (Overmeer et al 1982), Euseius scutalis (Athias-Henriot) (Bonfour and McMurtry 1987), Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes (Bonde 1989;Momen 1993), Galendromus helveolus (Chant) (Caceres and Childers 1991), Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski and Amitai), Typhlodromus athiasae Porath and Swirski (Momen 1997) and Amblyseius zaheri Yousef and El Brollosy (Saber and Momen 2000).…”

Amblyseius swirskii in greenhouse production systems: a floricultural perspective

“…Despite its broad host range, several economically important pest species are not suppressed by A. swirskii. It does not perform well on aphids, scales or mealybugs (Ragusa and Swirski 1977;Hoda et al 1986;Swirski et al 1967). Amblyseius swirskii can survive on honeydew, although it is a poor food source (Ragusa and Swirski 1977).…”