Systematic and Applied Acarology (2003) 8, 49-54

Alireza Saboori, Mojtaba Hosseini and Bijan Hatami (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
Systematic and Applied Acarology 8, 49-54
Abstract: 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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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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Planococcus citri	Citrus (genus)	Iran
	Pulvinaria aurantii	Citrus (genus)	Iran
Allothrombium pulvinum (predator/parasite)	Planococcus citri	Citrus (genus)	Iran
Allothrombium pulvinum (predator/parasite)	Pulvinaria aurantii	Citrus (genus)	Iran