Experimental and Applied Acarology (2002) 27, 297-302
Mojtaba Hosseini, Bijan Hatami and Alireza Saboori (2002)
Host preference by Allothrombium pulvinum (Acari: Trombidiidae) larvae on aphids: Macrosiphum rosae, Aphis gossypii and Hyalopterus amygdali (Homoptera: Aphididae)
Experimental and Applied Acarology 27 (4), 297-302
Abstract: In this study aphid-plant association and its effect on host preference of parasitic Allothrombium pulvinum larvae was examined with multiple-choice tests. Host species selection, host size selection and superparasitism with mite larvae were studied with two-choice tests. Three aphid species were used: Macrosiphum rosae, Aphis gossypii and Hyalopterus amygdali. In multiple-choice tests, larvae of A. pulvinum showed no significant preference for any aphid-plant association when given M. rosae on rose, A. gossypii on cucumber and H. amygdali on apricot simultaneously. Two-choice tests showed that larval mites preferred H. amygdali to A. gossypii, but had no preference when offered a choice between A. gossypii and M. rosae or between H. amygdali and M. rosae. In host size selection and superparasitism tests, significantly more mites selected the larger host (M. rosae). Furthermore, parasitised H. amygdali were preferred to unparasitised ones.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Alireza Saboori, Bijan Hatami
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
