The adults of Allothrombium pulvinum Ewing (Acari: Trombidiidae) have a wide range of prey. Herein we review the prey range of these adults and report eggs of Planococcus citri (Risso) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and Pulvinaria aurantii Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccidae) as new prey for adults of this mite in Northen Iran. We examined the preference of A. pulvinum for eggs of P. citri and P. aurantii in no-choice and two-choice tests. The experiments were conducted on sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) leaf discs over a 24h period at 26±1°C, 755% RH and a 12L:12D photoperiod. The predatory mite preferred P. citri eggs over P. aurantii eggs (P<0.05), and the mean number of eggs consumed by adults of A. pulvinum in the two-choice test was higher than that in the no-choice test. The potential of A. pulvinum as a biocontrol agent against these two important citrus pests from that region is discussed.
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1 July 2003
Preference of adults of Allothrombium pulvinum Ewing (Acari: Trombidiidae) for eggs of Planococcus citri (Risso) and Pulvinaria aurantii Cockerell on citrus leaves in the laboratory
Alireza Saboori,
Mojtaba Hosseini,
Bijan Hatami
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Systematic and Applied Acarology
Vol. 8 • No. 1
July 2003
Vol. 8 • No. 1
July 2003
Acari
Allothrombium pulvinum
Iran
Planococcus citri
preference
preys
Pulvinaria aurantii