Experimental and Applied Acarology (2005) 37, 173-181

Mojtaba Hosseini, Bijan Hatami, Alireza Saboori, Hossein Allahyari and Ahmad Ashouri (2005)
Predation by Allothrombium pulvinum on the spider mites Tetranychus urticae and Amphitetranychus viennensis: Predation rate, prey preference and functional response
Experimental and Applied Acarology 37 (3-4), 173-181
Abstract: The deutonymphs of Allothrombium pulvinum Ewing (Acari: Trombidiidae) are among the most important natural enemies of spider mites in North, North East and West Iran. In this study, maximum predation rate and preference experiments were conducted with A. pulvinum deutonymphs on apple leaf discs, to determine their preference for either of two spider mite species: Amphitetranychus viennensis (Zacher) and Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). Maximum predation rate tests showed that the predatory mite consumed more eggs and females of T. urticae than of A. viennensis. Furthermore, the Manly's preference index for eggs and females of T. urticae confirmed that T. urticae were the preferred prey. The functional response of A. pulvinum deutonymphs on females of T. urticae was examined over a 24-h period. Predation of A. pulvinum deutonymphs presented with females of T. urticae followed a type III functional response. Estimated handling time for the predatory mites was 4.51 h and attack coefficient b, which describes the changes in attack rate with prey densities in a type III functional response, was 0.021.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Ahmad Ashouri, Hossein Allahyari, 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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Tetranychus urticae	Apple (Malus)	Iran
	Amphitetranychus viennensis	Apple (Malus)	Iran
Allothrombium pulvinum (predator/parasite)	Tetranychus urticae	Apple (Malus)	Iran
Allothrombium pulvinum (predator/parasite)	Amphitetranychus viennensis	Apple (Malus)	Iran