Impact of two eriophyoid fig mites, Aceria ficus and Rhyncaphytoptus ficifoliae, as prey on postembryonic development and oviposition rate of the predacious mite Amblyseius swirskii

Abstract

The predacious mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot completed its life-span when fed on individuals of the fig bud mite, Aceria ficus (Cotte), and the fig leaf mite, Rhyncaphytoptus ficifoliae Keifer. The development was quickest and the number of prey consumed was highest when individuals were maintained on A. ficus, compared with R. ficifoliae. The average number of eggs/female/day was 1.5 and 1.0 on fig bud and leaf mites, respectively. Life table parameters showed that A. swirskii preferred A. ficus to R. ficifoliae as prey. The population of the predator feeding on the fig bud and leaf mites multiplied 21 and 15 times in a generation time of 20 and 22 days, respectively. Under these conditions, the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) was 0.155 individuals/female/day on A. ficus and 0.122 individuals/female/day on R. ficifoliae.