Life table and predation capacity of Typhlodromus bagdasarjani (Acari: Phytoseiidae) feeding on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) on rose

Abstract

The life history and predation rate of the predatory mite, Typhlodromus bagdasarjani Wainstein & Arutunjan, fed on the eggs of two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, were studied for both females and males under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 1°C, 75 ± 5% Relative Humidity (RH) and 16Light (L) : 8Dark (D) hour photoperiod. According to the age-stage, two-sex life table, the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R0), gross reproductive rate (GRR) and mean generation time (T) were 0.143 day−1, 1.154 day−1, 12.91 offspring, 16.7 offspring and 17.8 days, respectively. Moreover, the number of T. urticae eggs consumed by different stages/sexes of T. bagdasarjani was estimated using the age-stage, two-sex life table and indicated that the consumption rates increased from nymph to adult in both sexes. Also, our results showed that females consumed prey eggs 22 times more than males. The net predation rate (C0) and transformation rate from prey population to predator offspring (Qp) were 885.91 mite eggs and 68.62, respectively. The results showed that T. bagdasarjani can successfully survive and reproduce on T. urticae eggs on rose.