Journal of Entomological Science (2004) 39, 23-29

R.T. Villanueva, J.P. Michaud and C.C. Childers (2004)
Ladybeeties as predators of pest and predacious mites in citrus
Journal of Entomological Science 39 (1), 23-29
Abstract: The acceptability of Panonychus citri (McGregor) (Tetranychidae) as prey for adults and larvae of four coccinellid species, Cycloneda sanguinea L., Exochomus childreni Mulsant, Harmonia axyridis Pallas, and Olla v-nigrurn (Mulsant), was evaluated. Also, three beneficial predacious species, Euseius mesembrinus (Dean), lphiseiodes quadripilis (Banks) and an Amblyseius sp. (Phytoseiidae), were evaluated for their acceptability as prey for H. axyridis adults. Adult females and early larval stages of C. sanguinea, E. childreni; H. axyridis, and O. v-nigrum readily consumed adult P. citri females when these were presented on leaf disk arenas in Petri dishes. The most voracious mite predator was H. axyridis. Adult female H. axyridis consumed an average of 15.14 ± 1.9 female P. citri in 24 h, and first-instar larvae consumed 6.1 ± 0.7 in 60 min. Only H. axyridis was tested with predaceous mites as prey. First-instar H. axyridis larvae consumed one or two adult Amblyseius sp. in three out of eight trials, and a single E. mesembrinus female. No I. quadripilis females were eaten by H. axyridis larvae. Adult female H. axyridis did not consume adult female phytoseiids of any species under similar conditions. If predacious phytoseiids are generally unacceptable as prey for coccinellids while P. citri is selectively consumed, then coccinellid predation would likely have a net beneficial effect in contributing to suppression of tetranychid mite populations in citrus.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): J.P. Michaud, Carl C. Childers

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Panonychus citri	Citrus (genus)	U.S.A. (SE)
Harmonia axyridis (predator)	Panonychus citri		U.S.A. (SE)
Cycloneda sanguinea (predator)	Panonychus citri		U.S.A. (SE)
Euseius mesembrinus (predator)
Olla v-nigrum (predator)	Panonychus citri		U.S.A. (SE)
Exochomus childreni (predator)	Panonychus citri		U.S.A. (SE)