Utilization of plant food resources by phytoseiid mite species with different feeding habits

Abstract

To examine the utilization of plant food resources by the phytoseiid mite species Amblyseius eharai Amitai & Swirski, Euseius sojaensis (Ehara), and Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acarina: Phytoseiidae), we collected phytoseiid mites on peach leaves in Japanese peach orchards. Then, phytoseiid mite samples that had been estimated to contain a single phytoseiid mite species using quantitative sequencing were selected. Simultaneously, we surveyed pollen available for phytoseiid mites in peach orchards and selected Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koeler (Poales: Poaceae), Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. (Poales: Poaceae), and Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc. (Pinales: Pinaceae) as pollen source plants. Subsequently, the internal transcribed spacer sequences of ribosomal genes or the non-coding region of the chloroplast DNA of the three plant species were amplified from phytoseiid mite samples using polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that phytoseiid mite species with different feeding habits use plant food sources, possibly pollens, of D. ciliaris and P. densiflora.