Systematic and Applied Acarology (2017) 22, 159-169

Yaghoub Fathipour, Maryam Karimi, Azadeh Farazmand and Ali Asghar Talebi (2017)
Age-specific functional response and predation rate of Amblyseius swirskii (Phytoseiidae) on two-spotted spider mite
Systematic and Applied Acarology 22 (1), 159-169
Abstract: The lifetime functional response and predation rate of Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot on eggs of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch were determined under laboratory conditions using cucumber leaf discs. Densities of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 prey were offered to 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 17, 22 and 27-day-old A. swirskii individuals. Based on the logistic regression, the functional response of twelve-day-old A. swirskii was type III, while the other ages showed type II. The Rogers model was used to estimate searching efficiency (a) and handling time (T_h). The longest handling time (1.387±0.315 h) was observed in the protonymphal stage, while the shortest handling time and highest maximum attack rate (T/T_h) were estimated at the age of seven-days (0.396±0.057 h and 60.67 prey/day, respectively). In the functional response experiments, results of the highest prey density used (128 eggs) showed that the highest number of prey consumed by A. swirskii individuals aged twelve and seventeen-days old (35.6 and 43.1 eggs, respectively). It is concluded that A. swirskii could be an efficient biological control agent of T. urticae at the middle-age of its life and at higher prey densities.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Yaghoub Fathipour, Ali Asghar Talebi

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
Amblyseius swirskii (predator)	Tetranychus urticae