Abstract
Differences in responsiveness to potential prey and pollen were tested in the facultative predator,Euseius tularensis Congdon. Following isolation without food for 16 h, adult female mites were observed with one of the following potential foods: pollen ofMalephora crocea (Jacquin) Schwantes,Scirtothrips citri (Moulton) 2nd instar larvae,Tetranychus pacificus McGregor nymphs and ♂,Panonychus citri (McGregor) nymphs and ♂,E. hibisci (Chant) larvae, andE. tularensis larvae. Responses were compared using the proportion of encounters that resulted in consumption. This proportion was highest when pollen was encountered, followed byS. citri andT. pacificus. Consumption was much lower in response toP. citri and congeneric larvae. WhenS. citri larvae were encountered a 2nd time, 1 to 2 h after the initial capture and consumption, responsiveness increased to a level equal to the response observed with pollen. These results suggest thatE. tularensis is a more effective biological control agent of citrus thrips (S. citri) than of citrus red mite (P. citri).
Résumé
L'étude porte sur les réactions du prédateur facultatifEuseius tularensis Congdon à l'égard du pollen et de différentes proies potentielles. A la suite d'une période d'isolement sans nourriture de 16 heures, des femelles de cet acarien sont observées en présence de l'un des aliments potentiels suivants: pollen deMalephora crocea (Jacquin) Schwantes; 2e stade larvaire deScirtothrips citri (Moulton); protonymphes, deutonymphes et mâles deTetranychus pacificus McGregor et dePanonychus citri (McGregor); larves deEuseius hibisci (Chant) et deE. tularensis.
Les réponses du prédateur sont comparées, en se basant sur la proportion de rencontres qui aboutissent à une consommation. Cette proportion est la plus élevée lors de la mise en présence de pollen, elle est suivie par cell deS. citri et celle deT. pacificus. La consommation est la plus faible en présence de larves deP. citri et de larves d'Euseius spp. Lorsque des larves deS. citri sont présentées pour la 2e fois, 1 à 2 heures après la première capture, la consommation s'accroît et atteint un niveau comparable à celui qui est observé avec du pollen. Ces résultats font penser queE. tularensis est un agent de lutte biologique plus efficace contreS. citri que contreP. citri.
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Congdon, B.D., McMurtry, J.A. Prey selectivity inEuseius tularensis [Acari: Phytoseiidae] . Entomophaga 33, 281–287 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02372617
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02372617